Highs and Lows
by LindseyGoldsworthy
Summary: In junior high and high school, there are highs and lows. Can Clare Edwards stick through it all with her loved ones at her side? Or will she be pushed to the edge?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey people of the world. So, I just came up with this story when I was attempting to write my other story. ****This was inspired by real life memories. I feel like I want to continue, because I have alot of interesting ideas in my head, but I don't know if anyone wants to read it. Let me know what you think :) (Oh yeah it's a little OOC and AU)**

7th Grade

-GETTING READY-

Today was my first day of middle school, and I was really nervous and excited to see how different it was from elementary school. I hoped that I would share classes with my lifelong friends, and that we would stay friends. I hung out with Alli and a few kids from my church over the summer, and was reassured by them when they said that we would stay friends and keep in contact.

I ran around my room, discarding outfit after outfit after I tried them on. I didn't want to go all-out fancy, but I did want to make a good impression. After a while, I was starting to get tired of trying so hard so I gave up and threw on a light pink babydoll dress and a light grey cardigan.

_You are going to wear this, Clare_ I told myself.

_It looks cute. _

_No one is going to be thinking about your outfit, anyways._

_It's only middle school._

Sigh.

_WEAR IT. _

_Ugh no._

After about twenty more minutes of internal debate and changing my outfit, I still had plenty of time. I made sure to wake up extra early today because I knew I would have a bad case of indecision. I ran downstairs to find that all of the lights were out._ I guess no one else is up. _I grinned mischievously.

Taking advantage of the situation, I tiptoed into the bathroom where Darcy kept all of her makeup. I knew I was breaking the rules, but sometimes they need to be broken. Mom said that Darcy was allowed to wear it since she was in high school, but all of my friends were wearing makeup by now. This was not the first time I had used some of her makeup. Over the summer, Alli had taught me how to apply mascara and eyeliner so that it brightened my eyes and made me look ten times better. I figured that I could put it on right now and sneak off to Alli's house before going to school together. I did my makeup, adding a little gold eyeliner on the bottom to make my eyes look really blue. I checked myself out in the mirror one last time and smiled. My final outfit choice was a flowy violet button down blouse and a pair of black skinny jeans. The gold in my makeup looked phenomenal in contrast to my dark clothing. I accessorized with my cross necklace and some random black flats.

I ate a quick breakfast and texted Alli to tell her I was coming over. She texted me back to say that it was fine. I was starting to get worried that someone would come down and see my made-up face, so I grabbed my bag and headed out the door.

* * *

-THE DAY-

"Oh, I am so excited!" Alli squealed when her dad dropped us off at Degrassi Junior High.

"Me too! I can't believe we only have one class toge- Alli,what are you doing!" I yelled at her. She was taking off her clothes on the steps to the school.

"Did you really think I was going to wear this ugly outfit? Gosh, Clare, I'm insulted,"

I gasped when I saw what she was wearing under her long denim skirt and bulky sweatshirt. It was a skin-tight, cherry red dress that fell down to mid thigh.

"Alli, you do know that there is a dress code." I said, shocked.

"Oh calm down, my fingers are above the hem!" she defended.

"If you say so..." I wasn't going to get into it. If Alli wanted to attract the wrong kind of attention, that was her deal. We walked up the steps and into the school we would now call our own for the next two years.

First period algebra was a breeze. Second period science, a class I shared with Alli, was rather tedious, but it went smoothly. When I got to third period, however, there was a turn in events. This class was Advanced English, my favorite subject in elementary school. It was going to be full of eighth graders, so I wouldn't really know anyone. When I got to the room, I was a minute late (due to Alli pulling me into the bathroom so I could fix her hair for her), and all of the seats were already taken except for one in the back. I walked over to the seat, trying to look nonchalant as the teacher looked up from her introduction.

"Late on the first day, really?" the teacher said angrily.

I looked over at her, surprised at her audacity. "I-I'm sorry it won't happen again," I stammered. Everyone was staring at me by now.

"You better hope it doesn't," she grit out. I felt embarrassed tears springing to my eyes as I hurried silently to my seat in the back.

_Oh please no, not on the first day_. I stared at the ceiling, trying to force the tears back into my head.

"Geez, harsh." a voice in front of me whispered. I looked forward to see a boy with medium-length dark brown hair and bright emerald green eyes turned backwards in his seat staring at me. He must have seen the tears in my eyes because he said "Hey, are you alright?" in a soft voice.

"Yeah, I'm good, thanks." I said, averting my gaze.

"It's okay, Ms. Hernandez is a bitch to everyone."

I laughed a little, and the tears instantly disappeared. I glanced at the boy who was still looking back at me. He wore a black v-neck and skinny jeans and had sharpie all over his hands. I felt the need to introduce myself to this comforting stranger.

"I'm Clare."

"Eli, nice to meet ya." he said, extending his hand. I looked at it and giggled.

"Really?"

"My hands are clean, I promise." he said sarcastically. I shrugged and shook his hand.

"Mostly," he added, smirking deviously. I shook my head with a grin and slapped his shoulder.

"Abuse!" he whisper-shouted.

"Oh whatever." I rolled my eyes.

He turned back to the teacher, but not before saying "This could be the start of a beautiful friendship, Miss Clare."

I couldn't understand why my stomach flipped when he said my name.

The rest of class was uneventful, but Ms. Hernandez said that she was assigning writing partners the next day. I really hoped I would be paired with my new acquaintance, Eli. He seemed really cool. The bell rang and everyone rushed out of the classroom to their next classes. I had lunch next, and I was nervous about this. I didn't know if I had any friends to sit with. I looked around the cafeteria, not recognizing a single face.

_Please, God, let me find someone to sit with. _I prayed in my head as I walked around the rapidly filling tables. I spotted a boy sitting alone at one end of a table. The other end was occupied by some kids I knew from my Algebra class. _Better than nothing_.

I went over to the lone boy and asked "This seat taken?" I pointed to the seat across from him.

"Well... kind of," he said frowning, "but that one isn't." He pointed to the one next to it. I stared at him for a second, confused.

"Just kidding, chill." he laughed, "do sit."

"Oh thanks," I laughed, relieved. I sat in the chair across from him.

"No problem..."

"Clare." I filled in.

"Okay, no problem _Clare. _I could use the company, anyways." he gestured to the empty seats around us.

"Same here. What's your name?" I asked.

"Adam Torres."

"Nice to meet you, Adam. So were you really waiting for someone?"

"Yeah, my best friend. He was supposed to meet me here." he said, extending his neck to look around the cafeteria.

"Oh, there he is!" he got up and yelled "ELI!"

I followed Adam's gaze and saw Eli from my English class walking over to us.

"Hey, sorry, I had to go to the bathroom." Eli told Adam as he neared our table.

"It's cool, man. I know you have a weak bladder." Adam said. I took one glance at Eli's incredulous expression and burst out laughing.

"Adam!" Eli exclaimed.

"What? It's the truth." Adam said in defense. "Take a seat."

Eli shrugged and sat in the chair next to me. "Hey Miss Clare." he greeted me.

"Hey, Eli,"

"You guys know each other?" Adam asked.

"We have English together." we said in unison.

"Well, wasn't that ironic." Adam laughed.

Lunch rolled by easily, the two boys and I talking non-stop about the most random things. I could easily imagine becoming good friends with these guys. Eli is witty, smooth, and mysterious and Adam is playful, open, and sarcastic. They balance each other out in the most perfect of ways. I learned many things about them, including that they'd known one another since kindergarten, were obsessed with comics books, and worshiped Dead Hand religiously (not that I knew what Dead Hand was).

The rest of the day went by in a flash, and I suddenly found myself sitting in the back of a school bus with Alli. She was whining about how a teacher made her change her outfit.

"Claaare. It was so embarrassing! I had to walk around in my gym clothes for three periods! _Three!" _

_ "_Wow, bummer. I hate to say I told you so. But I did!" I laughed.

Her mouth was parted in shock. "How can you say that!"

"Calm down, Alli. I was just kidding."

"Ugh, so not appreciated!" she huffed.

"Sorry, it must have been horrible." I eased.

"Yes, it was. Anyways, how was your day? Meet any hotties?" she wiggled her eyebrows.

"It was good, kind of boring. And, I wouldn't say hotties, but I did make two guy friends."

"Ooh! Are they at least cute! Can you set me up?"

"No, I just met them! But yeah, one of them is kind of cute." I admitted.

"Ooh, Clare is crushin' on someone" she sang.

"Shhhh no I'm not." I shushed her.

"What's his name?"

"Alli, I don't like him! He's just cute and nice. And his name is Eli."

"Aw, Clare and Eli. Eli and Clare. ECLARE!" Alli yelled. My face turned tomato red as I saw the kids around us looking over curiously.

"Alli, shut up!" I hissed. I grabbed my ipod from my backpack and cranked it up to full blast the whole way home. I was pretty angry at Alli for being such a big mouth. But that was Alli, and I knew I couldn't stay mad at her for long. She got off the bus first, and I waved her goodbye. My stop came up next and I walked home happily. I knew that this year was going to be good.

**So... shall I continue? **


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, thank you for your reviews! I'm really happy people wanted me to continue. So I did, obviously. This chapter is setting up a few things that I have planned for the story. I know that there is like a whole bunch of dialogue, but I'm not sure if that's an issue or not. Read, review, and enjoy! **

* * *

7th Grade

-ONE WEEK IN (FRIDAY)-

These past five days have been so amazing! I'm just getting back into the groove of 'eat, sleep, school'. I think I'm getting kind of popular at Degrassi Junior High. I now have at least ten friends in each class, though I still sit with only Eli and Adam at lunch. Many kids walk with me in the hallways, and I even got asked out twice! Of course I said no, though. The guys were total randoms.

Currently, I was sitting in second period science with Alli. We weren't paying attention to the video our teacher put on for us. Alli was painting her nails.

"Alli, are you even allowed to do that?" I whispered.

"I dunno. Who cares?" I looked over at the teacher who was reading a magazine.

"I guess no one."

"Exactly. Can I do yours?" she smiled excitedly.

"Sure." I put my hands in front of her on our lab table. She began painting my nails a hot pink color.

"Sooo, Clare, are you thinking about joining any clubs?" she asked.

"Yeah, I want to do newspaper. I might also try out for the volleyball team."

"Cool. I want to be on the junior power squad. My dad even said I could. You should do it with me!"

"I don't know Alli. Cheerleading?"

"Yes cheerleading. It could make us really popular! And every boy wants to date a cheerleader. Maybe Eli..."

"Alli, I don't like him!"

"Okay..." she sighed, returning to silently painting my nails.

I thought about it. I really did like Eli, even though I would never (in a million years) admit it. It was just a small crush though, not something that would ever be reciprocated. I highly doubted that he would like a cheerleader, anyway. He seemed like he would be against anything extra-curricular, especially something as mainstream as cheer-leading. I should stick to volleyball.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by our teacher's voice.

"What do you girls think you're doing?"

I looked up from my nails, which were half-done. Mrs. Ziegler was standing right in front of Alli and I.

"Um..." Alli drawled.

"'Um' is right. You should know you're not allowed to do that in class. Not to mention in _my _class. Detention for both of you after school."

A chorus of 'Ooh's echoed through the classroom.

"I can't today!" Alli protested.

"Okay, then you'll have to come to Saturday school all day tomorrow. How about you, Miss Edwards? One hour detention today or Saturday school?"

I sat there shocked. I couldn't believe Alli had dragged me into this ridiculous situation.

"Uh I-I'll take detention, Ma'am" I said.

"Good choice. Now pay attention to the movie!" Ms. Ziegler said to the whole class, who continued to stare at Alli and I like we were aliens.

"Thanks Alli," I muttered. My face was beet red.

"You said I could paint them!" she defended.

"Whatever."

I sat through the last ten minutes of class, not watching the movie and trying to calm down my anger for Alli. This was the first time I've ever gotten in trouble, and it was not accompanied by a good feeling. My parents were going to _kill _me. The bell rang and I just power-walked out of class by myself, not waiting for Alli. I didn't want to say something I would regret.

I entered my English classroom, taking my seat in the back. Eli wasn't there yet, and I was a little glad. I wouldn't have the chance to snap at him. I looked to the front of the room, where a an old guy with thick glasses resided. The bell rang and everyone went silent. The man spoke up.

"Hello class, I'm your sub for today. My name is Mr. Oliver, but you can call me Mr. O. Um... your teacher said that you are supposed to work on your essay with your partners today, and that you know what to do. Just stay in your seats and keep it down, please." he turned to the computer in front of him and that was that.

_Well this is just great. _Eli had our paper, and it looked like he wasn't going to-

Just then, the door flew open and Eli walked in. He looked terrible. He had a nasty bruise covering the whole right side of his face and his lip was busted. He went over to the substitute and handed him a piece of paper, a late pass I'd presumed. He then took his seat and looked back at me.

"What are we doing today?" he asked, as if everything was normal.

"Eli, what happened to your face!" I blurted.

"Hi to you too, Clare." he said.

"Sorry, hello. Now tell me what happened!"

"It was nothing."

"Nothing? Eli, you look like you were mauled by a bear!" I exclaimed. A few kids looked at me strangely. _What? It's true!_

"Thanks, I really appreciate the support you're giving me here. It was no big deal, really. Just some asshole who decided to take my lunch money. I handled it, though." he smirked.

"You were in a fight!"

"How'd you guess?" he retorted.

"Oh wow, Eli. Are you okay?"

"Never better. The kid punched like my grandma. But I do have detention today and all of next week. Bummer."

"I guess I'll see you there today." I said, remembering what happened last period.

"Miss Saint Clare got in trouble?" he mocked.

"Yeah, Alli did my nails in science class."

He laughed. "I should have known it was some innocent little misdemeanor."

"Hey! It's my first time being in trouble, cut me some slack."

"Fine, fine. You want to work on our essay?" he asked.

"Sure. Have any ideas about what it should be on?"

"Well it does have to be a school-related issue...how about detention?"

"Nah, too close to home," We both laughed.

"Agreed." We were silent for a minute. Then I got an idea.

"How about the school board's decision to add more after school activities?"

"Oh, that could be good. We could do like a pros and cons essay, addressing both sides of the issue." he mused.

"Let's do it."

Eli and I used our class time to write our essay on the pros and cons of adding more extra-curricular activities to the school. I wrote the pros part, and Eli, naturally, wrote the cons part.

"So, I'm assuming you won't join ballroom dancing anytime soon ." I laughed after a heated debate on the issue.

"You assume correctly, babe."

My jaw dropped open and I did a double-take. Did I hear him right, or did he just call me babe? No one has ever called me that before. He continued to write furiously, oblivious to my reaction. I decided he needed a little hint.

"Well, _babe, _I guess I just know you too well by now."

He looked up from his work and grinned. "I guess you do, hon."

_ Swoon._

I laughed, but my stomach was doing somersaults. "Oh just get back to work."

"Sure thing, Miss Clare."

After class, Eli and I walked to lunch together like we had all week. I didn't crave anyone else's company when I was with him, as I did with other people. We made it safely to the cafeteria doors before a kid ran in front of us and looked at me.

"Um, excuse us." Eli said, motioning for the kid to get out of the way. The guy ignored him completely.

"Hey Clare! How's it going?"

"It's great...do I know you?" I asked.

"Well, we do have media immersion together. I'm KC" he said. Didn't ring a bell.

"Oh hello KC, can we go to lunch now?" I said, growing impatient.

"Yeah, but I was just wondering if you wanted to go see Dead Hand in concert with me next Friday."

Eli gasped. "Dead Hand! You're going to see Dead Hand?"

"Uh yeah..." KC said, addressing Eli for the first time. He turned back to me,"So what do you say, Clare?"

"Sorry, I don't know who they are." I lied. Eli and Adam had definitely filled me in on who they were throughout the week. I had listened to several songs (on Eli's ipod) and actually did like the rock band a lot.

KC looked really disappointed and I felt somewhat bad for rejecting him.

"I'm sorry," I repeated.

"Er, it's fine. See you in class." He walked away swiftly.

_ That was weird._

I turned to Eli who wore an expression of complete shock.

"Let's go." I said, pulling him into the cafeteria with me. He trailed behind until he recovered from his surprise and stopped me.

"You know who Dead Hand is," he accused.

"Thank you captain obvious."

"Then why would you say no to a concert of theirs?"

_Geez how is he this oblivious?_

"Because I have no idea who KC is, and I'd rather not go out with a total stranger."

"I guess that makes sense." Eli replied.

"I know it does. Now let's go get some lunch."

* * *

The school day went by with no more unusual occurrences or encounters. Alli did apologize to me in the hallway for getting me in trouble and I told her that it was fine. It wasn't really her fault. I texted my mom to tell her I'd be late coming home, but left out the reason. I knew I would have to tell her later, though. That ought to be fun. I walked to the detention classroom and found it full of kids. Eli was sitting alone in one corner of the room with his headphones on and resting his head against the wall. I went over to sit next to him.

"Hey," I whispered. He nodded at me in acknowledgment.

"OKAY THIS IS DETENTION, KIDS. ALL YOU ARE ALLOWED TO DO IS SIT DOWN AND BE QUIET. ELIJAH GOLDSWORTHY GET RID OF THE HEADPHONES."

I don't think Eli heard the obnoxiously loud woman talking to him, because he continued to bob his head to the music playing in his ears. I nudged him and gestured for him to take off his headphones. He did, and that seemed to satisfy the lady. She parted us with a "I'M GOING TO A MEETING. STAY SILENT." Once she exited the classroom, everyone started talking.

"Oh my gosh, she just left!" I said to Eli. He laughed.

"Yup, always does."

"You've been in detention before? It's only the first week of school."

"Nah, but I've heard stories. So, what do you want to do with this wonderful hour of consequence and regret, Miss Clare?"

"What do _you _want to do, Dr. Doom?" I asked, then felt incredibly stupid for calling him that. Eli just smirked.

"Dr. Doom, huh? I'll take that as a compliment. And _I_ wanted to spend my hour talking to you."

I couldn't control the blush that invaded my cheeks. He wanted to talk to me?

_Of course he does, idiot. You are friends with him, after all. FRIENDS._

"Okay, let's talk."

And so we did, for the duration of the detention. We mostly just joked around and learned about one another's interests. We have a lot in common, actually. More than I thought, and more than enough to talk for hours on end. I was ironically enjoying detention, but of course it had to come to an end at some point.

"OKAY HOUR'S UP KIDS. HAVE A NICE NIGHT, AND DON'T END UP IN HERE AGAIN." the teacher yelled when she graced us with her presence for the first time in an hour.

Everyone got up and practically ran to the door to get out of the room. Eli and I walked behind, visibly less enthused about leaving than the other kids.

"Do you have a ride?" Eli asked.

"Nope, I'm walking. My house isn't that far from here, on Queen Street,"

"Clare, that's like six blocks away. If you want, I'm sure my dad wouldn't mind driving you home," he offered.

"Wow, okay thanks." I sat down on a bench and patted the spot next to me. He sat down and said, "Friends don't let friends walk home alone, so it's no problem." I smiled.

"And you, Eli Goldsworthy, are one good friend."

"Aw, you're making me blush," he teased. I rolled my eyes, "Oh, shut up."

"Anything for you, doll."

"Really, this again?" I asked, trying to hide _my _reddened face.

"Yup. I enjoy watching your reactions very much. Like the way you are trying to hide your blush right now."

_Busted._

"I am not blushing!" I exclaimed, but it was too late. The evidence was written on my face, literally.

"Hmm, aren't you?" he said as he suddenly lifted his hand and tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear. I looked up at him, shocked by his touch. He was staring at me.

"Um..." was all I could manage.

"That's what I thought," he grinned and turned away, "oh, here's my dad."

We got up and Eli led me to a black convertible that was blasting heavy metal music. He opened the back door for me and he got in the passenger seat.

"Well, hello, who do we have here?" Eli's dad said, turning down the radio and spinning around to face me.

"This is my friend, Clare." Eli introduced me, "she needs a ride."

"Oh hiya Clare, nice to meet you. I'm Bullfrog."

"Nice to meet you...Bullfrog. I like your car," I said awkwardly.

"Thanks kiddo," he said before turning to Eli and loudly whispering, "this one's a keeper, Eli." I giggled while Eli groaned.

"I know, I know. Can we go now? She lives on Queen Street," he said before his dad could ask.

"Yep, let's giddy up outta here."

We drove away from the school and made small talk on the way to my house. Bullfrog is a very easy going person, much more laid-back than my parents. I groaned inwardly.

_ My parents, who are going to flay me alive the moment I tell them where I was this afternoon. If they don't already know._

I checked my phone, no missed calls or texts.

_So the school is going to make it hard on me, huh?_

"Everything alright?" Eli asked. I looked up at his concerned face.

"Oh, yeah. My parents are just going to be really mad that I got detention today." Eli nodded.

"That's so dumb." Bullfrog said suddenly.

"How so?" I asked, confused.

"Well, I see it how it really is. You guys already paid your consequences by having detention, so there's really no need to punish you any more." he explained. I sat there in awe.

"Well, there's one way to look at it. Eli you're so lucky, your dad's awesome."

"Sure," he muttered. Bullfrog mussed his son's hair.

"You know I'm awesome, Eli. No need to be so modest." he laughed. Oh, so _this _is where Eli gets his sarcastic and cocky attitude.

"This your house, Clare?" Bullfrog asked and I looked out the window.

"Yup, thank you so much for the ride, Bullfrog."

"It was no problem, Clarebear."

"I'll see you on Monday, Eli." I said.

"See ya then." he waved.

I walked up to my house and opened the door slowly, trying to be quiet. I looked back and waved to Eli and his dad as they drove off. Entering the house, there was only one word that could describe what was waiting for me. Complete and utter _chaos_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ello there everyone. So here is chapter 3. Warning: It's kind of depressing (according to my sister). But oh well, it is a 'low' for Clare. Thank you for your encouraging reviews! Keep 'em coming.**

* * *

7th Grade

FRIDAY AFTER DETENTION

I walked through my front door and tip-toed to the stairs. I really didn't want to get into it with my parents right now, not after such a fun ride with Bullfrog and Eli. As I looked over the banister, however, I saw no one. The living room was empty and quiet. I slowed to a stop and looked at the time on my phone. It sa 6:05, dinnertime. This might have been normal for any household, or maybe even a little bit strange.

In my house, however, this was a different situation entirely. I had grown accustomed to this silence. It was a signal to duck and cover. It was the calm before the storm. I immediately sensed this and ran to my room, not bothering to be quiet anymore. I must have reached my room just in time, because when my door slammed shut, another one opened and the screaming began.

"RANDALL STOP! PLEASE, I DON'T KNOW WHERE SHE WENT!" my mom yelled, probably the one running down the stairs.

"YES YOU DO! I KNOW THAT YOU AND HER HAVE SOME LITTLE ALLIANCE AGAINST ME. IT'S FUCKING RIDICULOUS!"

I winced at the rare curse that came from my dad. _Who were they fighting about?_

"Randall, you know that's not true. Darcy and I are just much closer considering the fact that YOU'RE NEVER HOME!"

It _was_ kind of true. My dad hadn't been coming home as early as he used to, forcing my mother to socialize with us, her daughters, more. Darcy and her had a very close bond now, and although I was a little jealous that she received more attention, I dealt with it.

"OH, I'M _SO _SORRY THAT I HAVE TO WORK OVERTIME TO PAY FOR YOUR SPOILED, GOLD-DIGGING ASS TO KEEP SHOPPING NON-STOP!" he hollered, and I heard a slam downstairs. This was too much for me to bear. I laid on my bed, and attempted to block out the noise by wrapping my pillow around my ears. My eyes were streaming uncontrollably. I felt so bad for my mom, but I also understood my dad's point. He does work really hard for our family to maintain our lifestyle. I just wanted to go to sleep and forget that this was happening, but their argument penetrated through my pillow.

"YOU ASSHOLE!" my mom yelled. I was astonished. My mother never, and I mean _never _swore. There was a long pause.

"I'M OUT OF HERE!" my dad finally screamed back. My stomach dropped. I sat up, wondering if I should go say goodbye, if this would be my last chance. I was scared, though. Deathly afraid of saying goodbye. I honestly don't know why, but I couldn't bring myself to leave my bed. I laid back down, and cried silently. There was one more bang downstairs, and it was of the front door.

* * *

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

My body snapped up at the noise, and I stumbled blindly across my room to go turn off my incessant alarm clock. I switched it off, and looked down to see the time it displayed. 8:00 AM. My eyes jumped out of their sockets. I ran back to my bed and picked up my phone, thumbing the screen frantically to look for a text or call. There was nothing. I was late for school! Then I remembered that it was Saturday.

_Oh, wow. Way to spaz-out, Clare. _

I was exhausted as I laid back down on my bed, but I knew that I wouldn't be able to go back to bed after being startled like that. With a sigh, I got up again and opened the curtains to let the sun shine in. That always makes me feel awake. I creaked my door open and padded down the hallway to look over the stairs. I didn't hear or see anyone, so they must have all been asleep. I went down to the kitchen and stared at the pantry, searching for something to eat. It was then that it all dawned on me.

_Was my dad still here?_

Suddenly, I didn't even feel hungry. I ran back upstairs to my parents' room and peeked through the slightly ajar door. I gulped.

My mom sat alone against her headboard, talking quietly on the phone to someone. My dad was not there. I tried to move away before she saw me, but I made the floor squeak and she looked up.

"Oh, I gotta go Dee, I'll call you later." she said, waving her hand for me to come in.

I sighed and went to sit cross-legged in front of her on the bed.

"Okay bye." she ended the call and looked up at me, "Good morning sweetie."

"Morning. Who was that?"

"Dede, you know, my friend since highschool?"

"Oh yeah. What did she want?"

"Nothing, I just called her to talk about some stuff."

"...okay? Hey mom, where is dad? I heard you guys fighting yesterday."

"You were here?" she asked and I nodded. "Well he just left for the night, he said he'll be back today." Relief washed over me instantly with that sentence, but I was skeptical.

"I see...where did he go?"

"I think he said a motel. It's fine, honey. He'll be home soon enough."

"Okay," I said, still unsure, "I'm going to take a shower."

"Alright, do you want to go out to breakfast with Darcy and I?" she asked.

"Nah, I'm good, thanks." I said and walked out of the room to grab a towel.

As I showered, I tried to keep my mind off of the uncertainty and sadness I was feeling, but it was a lost cause. The questions flooded my head.

_ Why would my dad feel the need to go to a motel for a night? Did he really hate my mom that much? Was he coming back? Why would God make my mom and him fight all the time?_

After a few minutes of emotional turmoil, I couldn't handle it anymore. I twisted the knob of the shower, aiming to turn it off, but instead the water turned boiling hot.

"OW!" I yelled. I fumbled for the knob, but my hand slowed down as a thought occurred to me.

_I stopped thinking!_

The revelation changed me.

_ "_Clare, are you alright?" I heard my mom call outside the bathroom door.

The water burned my skin, and I fought the urge to jump straight out and start bawling in her arms.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I shouted. When did I become a liar?

I stood there in the liquid fire for several minutes, unable to think about anything but the pain, and the water washed away my silent tears. I finally became numb to the burn, and only then did sense re-enter my brain.

_What the heck am I doing! _I thought, hopping out of the shower. I shut off the water and wrapped the towel around my raw body. The mirror above the sink was heavily fogged over. I walked out into the cool air outside the bathroom, feeling so bad and so good at the same time.

_I am going insane, really._

I dressed myself in a some sweat pants and a tee shirt, trying to ignore the sting the fabric created on my skin (which was very red). I also threw on a sweat shirt to cover my arms before I went downstairs to grab a quick breakfast. My mom had left a note saying where she and Darcy went for breakfast and to call if I wanted her to bring something back. I just threw it out and poured myself some cereal. I was determined to stay at home to wait for my dad.

_BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ_

I shoved my cheerio filled spoon into my mouth and picked up my phone. There was a text from Alli.

**Clare, save me. I am dying in here.**

I stared at the phone, trying to make sense of her words. Oh yeah, Saturday school. I laughed out loud and shot her back a text.

**Maybe you should have come to detention yesterday. It was really fun!**

Yeah, maybe that was a little cruel. But hey, she was the one who wanted to paint my nails in class! My phone buzzed again.

**Hey babe, how are you?**

I did a spit take with my cheerios and then started cracking up. What the? I texted her back as I went to grab a paper towel to clean the mess on the table.

**…You trying to tell me something Alli? lol**

I shook my head. Her text didn't even make sense. Why would she say 'hey' in the middle of a conversation? I looked back at the text and cleaned the table at the same time. Wait...that wasn't Alli's number. Just then I received two texts at once, the first read:

**Hey, I had plans yesterday! Please just keep me occupied here, Clare it is soo boring.**

The second:

**Um, you trying to tell _me _something Clare? This is Eli. Who is this Alli person that also calls you babe? D:**

Oh wow, I should have known it was Eli. Him and his pet names. I responded to Alli quickly, something about getting our nails done at a salon, and went back to Eli's text.

**How did you get my number Dr. Doom? And Alli happens to be my best friend.**

I put his number in my phone and waited for his text, ignoring Alli's altogether. Finally it arrived.

**Adam gave it to me, he says he is surprised that you didn't. So am I! WTH!**

I laughed giddily at his over-reaction.

**Guess it slipped my mind. Are you with him right now or something?**

**Yep, we had our traditional guy's night sleepover. Care to join us at the park by the Dot?**

I bit my lip. I couldn't leave until my dad came home. I needed to know that he was going to be back, and that he wouldn't leave us again. But...hanging out with Eli and Adam _was_ very enticing. I sighed at the tough decision.

**Sorry, can't; church fundraiser. :/**

I put down the phone, feeling horrible for blowing off my good friends. I'm sure Eli _or _Adam would never do that to me if they could help it. My dad was worth it, though. Plus, my skin was still red all over from the stupid stunt I pulled this morning, and I couldn't let them see it. I never thought I would ever resort to self-harm in any way. _Never again. _I told myself. I glanced at my phone, which was buzzing again.

**It's all good. Well, I'll see you on Monday. Text me whenever hon.**

** (p.s: Adam says bye)**

My face turned red at his pet name. Gosh, how can he make me blush through a cell phone? I shook it off, and texted him goodbye.

**See you babe ;) oh and bye Adam!**

I spent the rest of Saturday in bed, catching up on some Zs and waiting for my dad to come home. Too bad he never did. My mom didn't come check up on me once, and I was feeling a little bit despondent. I read through my texts with Eli, and felt so stupid for not going to the park with him and Adam. I could have been having the time of my life, but instead I was laying in bed waiting for someone who probably would never show up.

_Sigh._

When did life become so depressing?

* * *

-SUNDAY MORNING-

I was still in low spirits the next morning, seeing as my father had yet to show his face. I came downstairs early to find my mom and sister eating a big breakfast.

"Morning," I said tiredly.

"Good morning, bedhead," Darcy teased.

"Darcy," my mother scolded, and then said, "Good morning honey, have some breakfast."

I sat down with them, and served myself some pancakes and bacon. I also poured a glass of orange juice.

"Mmm, nice job cooking mom!" I praised.

"Oh, it wasn't only me. Darcy really has the Edwards touch; good with the griddle, and hot with the boys."

I almost did another spit-take when she said that. I was just as shocked as I was jealous. But shocked was first, of course.

_Who is this and where is my mother?_

"Um, okay?" I said.

Darcy laughed at my reaction. "It's true, I'm pretty great at both."

"Humility is a virtue, Darcy." my mom said.

_Oh, _there's _my mother._

Just then, there was a knock on the door. I jumped up.

"I'll get it." _Please be dad. Please be dad. _was chanting in my head as I ran to the door. I swung it open and let out a sigh of disappointment.

"...KC?"


	4. Chapter 4

** Quick hello! Thank you so much for reading. Here's chapter 4. Sorry for KC's presence lol. Bear with me here, it'll get better. Reviews por favor? **

* * *

7th Grade

-SUNDAY MORNING-

"...KC? What are you doing here?" I asked. Like seriously, how did he know where I live?

He smiled shyly and said, "Uh hey Clare. Your friend Eli told me why you didn't want to go to the concert with me on Friday."

"He did what!" I practically yelled. He grimaced slightly at my outburst.

"Please don't be mad. I just came over to see if you wanted to get to know me first, and_ then_ decide if you want to go to the concert with me this coming Friday."

I thought it through, ignoring the anger I felt towards Eli right then. KC seemed sincere enough, _plus _he was actually willing to get to know me before taking me out. That was rare. The two other guys that asked me out just asked and walked away as soon as they were rejected. I looked into his eyes, which shone with hope as they gazed into mine.

"Yes."

"Awesome! Do you want to hang out today? Or is this a bad time...?" he asked, eyeing my pajama-clad body. I felt kind of uncomfortable in my scanty camisole and pajama pants.

"No, I'll just need to change. Come on in." I ushered him in while crossing my arms over my chest. "Are you hungry? My mom made pancakes."

"Sure, I could eat."

I led him past the foyer and into the dining room where my mom and Darcy sat talking animatedly. I cleared my throat and they looked up.

"Mom, Darcy, this is my...friend KC. KC, this is my mom and sister Darcy."

"Hello KC," my mom greeted him. Darcy just glanced between us, grinning wickedly.

"Hi, Mrs. Edwards and Darcy. It's nice to meet you both," KC replied. _Impressive. _I thought.

"Would you like some breakfast, dear? We've got more than enough," my mom asked him.

"Very much, thank you." he said.

We sat down next to each other at the table and KC served himself some food. My mom and Darcy's eyes bore into my face but I just stared at my plate and stabbed a piece of pancake with my fork. I wanted to flee the awkward situation so bad, but I knew it was probably worse for KC.

"So, KC, do you go to Degrassi Junior High with Clare?" my mom asked, breaking the thick silence.

"Yeah, we have media immersion together," he replied cheerfully.

"Oh, really?," my mom said, feigning interest, "how do you like that class?"

"It's a challenge, but-"

"Um guys, I'll be right back. I need to change." I interrupted, sensing my only escape. Darcy jumped up "I'll come too!" My mom frowned at us, but I just shrugged and ran upstairs with Darcy trailing behind. When we got to my room I spun around and glared at her. She glared back.

"What do you want?"

"What do I want? I want to know when you were planning on telling me about Mr. Justin Bieber downstairs!"

"What about him?" I grumbled, spinning around to go look for an outfit.

"Uh, like how long you two have been dating? I see how he looks at you, so don't try to lie to me!"

I sighed, "Darcy, we aren't dating. In fact, this is the first time we've talked outside of school. He just wants us to get to know each other." I left out the part about the concert, knowing she would tell my mom and my mom would never let me go to a concert with a boy. _If _I wanted to go.

"Well he is obviously interested in you. Do you like him? I mean _like-like_ him?"

"Darcy, I don't know! I barely know him yet. Ugh and what am I supposed to wear?" I looked around, my eyes resting on Darcy's, which were gleaming mischievously.

"I have the perfect thing!"

..

I looked in Darcy's full length mirror and smiled. I wore a light pink sweater over some cute black floral shorts and black opaque tights. Darcy curled my hair and did my makeup and I looked fresh faced and natural. _Pretty. _ I hoped my mom wouldn't mind the makeup too much, but right then I didn't think about that.

"Voila! You look so chic! Now, go get your man, Clare. He's waaaiting" Darcy sang.

I shot her a warning look but followed her instructions nonetheless. I walked down the stairs and found KC and my mom laughing together in the dining room. The dishes were all gone by now, and they were just sitting there chatting.

"I see you two are hitting it off," I joked. KC's grinning face turned to me and his eyes widened.

"Yes, KC here was just telling me about your teach- oh honey you look so pretty!" she squealed.

"I agree, Mrs. Edwards. You look very nice Clare." KC said smoothly.

"Thanks." I said and flashed him a small smile.

"I'll just let the two of you talk then." my mom whispered, 'subtly' slipping out of the room.

KC and I sat there awkwardly until he suggested we go to the park. I agreed and we made our way out into the cool September air.

* * *

-SEVERAL HOURS LATER-

"Oh-oh-sto-stop it I can't take it! Please!" I yelled between fits of giggles. KC and I were laying on two connected slides at the playground and he was using my tickle spots as weapons of mass destruction.

"Only if you admit it!" he shouted back, his long fingers relentlessly moving over my sides.

I laughed breathlessly. "Okay just stop I can't breathe!"

"No problem." His fingers stopped moving but they continued to rest on my abdomen. I shifted uncomfortably and he dropped them.

"Well?" He raised an eyebrow.

I huffed and said, "Fine, you asked for it; I am a huge JB fan."

"I knew it!" He burst into laughter as I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him. I waited for about three minutes before he looked over to see my expression. He composed himself and said,

"Sorry Clare, that was just too good. You've been trying to hide it all day but I knew your inner fan-girl side was in there somewhere."

"Oh, yeah I'm totally fan-girling over your hair right now." I retorted dryly.

He looked over at me and smiled. "Well, do you think that you want to fan-girl with me at that Dead Hand concert on Friday?"

"...Sure." I said slowly. After only a few hours, I already felt like KC and I were old friends. He was funny and intelligent and we chatted easily about our common interests. Honestly though, friends is all I wanted to be. KC seemed to want more, though...

"Great! I'll pick you up at seven on Friday. I promise you'll have such a good time. Probably more than at a JB concert." he grinned evilly. I shoved his shoulder playfully and got up.

"Yeah, we'll see KC. C'mon, I have to go home before my mom has a conniption."

He walked me home in comfortable silence. I wondered how I was going to get out on Friday night without my mom knowing. This was going to be difficult. I also thought about the concert itself. I was going to see _Dead Hand_! Briefly I was reminded of Eli, but I pushed that thought out of my head because I was still somewhat mad that he talked to KC about me.

KC and I exchanged numbers before he left me on the porch of my house. The second I stepped through the threshold I was bombarded by my sister.

"WELL? HOW WAS IT? ARE YOU TWO DATING NOW?" She was grinning like a fool.

I took off my shoes and coat and sat on the couch. I was going to make this nice and torturous.

"It was...interesting." was all I said.

"Interesting? What the heck does that mean Clare? Give me _something_ here! You could be getting your first boyfriend!" she shook my shoulders as she scolded me. I laughed and gave in.

"No need to resort to violence, Darcy. It was fun, KC is a nice guy. But I don't know..."

"What don't you know? You have a 'nice guy' wrapped around your finger and you need to keep him there! Did he make a move?"

I sighed and told her what she wanted to hear. "No! He did not make a move, geez. But we may be going out on Friday to..." I trailed off when I saw her crazy eyes about to burst into tears. "Darcy what's wrong!"

"Oh my god nothing is wrong! I am just so happy that my sister is finally getting a boyfriend!"

I laughed. "Darcy I'm only in seventh grade. It's not like I'm a fifty year woman living by herself with twenty cats. Plus I don't know if I like him like that..."

"Well you won't know if you don't try. Maybe if you go out with him your feelings will grow."

"I don't know Darcy. I guess I'll see how it goes on Friday night."

With that, Darcy allowed me to go upstairs to my room for the night. After changing into some pajamas and brushing my teeth, I laid down on my bed. I allowed myself this time to reflect on the weekend. I hadn't forgotten about my dad, more like lost hope._ If he didn't come back now, would he ever? What would that mean for our family? We would go poor and live on the streets, that's what it would mean. Please come home, dad. _I was getting slightly distraught about the whole situation, so I looked to my phone for a distraction. I had one text from KC, checking to see if this was the right number. Rolling my eyes, I texted him back.

**Yes, KC, this is Clare.**

Almost instantly I got a text back.

**kk, just makin sure. I gtg, c u at school.**

Interesting, I wouldn't have pinned him as a text language guy. I laughed to myself and texted him '**gudnite**'. I don't think he got my joke, though, because he didn't text back. I looked through my contacts and my eyes rested on one name. _Oh, why not get this over with?_

**Hey Goldsworthy. **

Seconds later, Eli responded.

**Why hello there Edwards. How are you on this lovely night?**

** Well Eli, I **_**was **_**doing excellent. Until I sound out a certain someone told someone else why I didn't want to go to a certain concert. -_-**

** I don't know what you're talking about...**

** Sure you don't. **

** Ugh fine Clare I'm sorry. It just kind of happened because him and his friends were being assholes and acting like they could get any girl they wanted. KC said something about you, and I was just trying to defend you. Please don't be mad at me.**

I was shocked. What did KC say about me? He didn't seem like he had any bad intentions when we hung out, but could he be trusted? Could _Eli _be trusted?

**You're forgiven. But...I told him that I'd go to the concert with him on Friday. **

** Clare, no! The guy is a total dick.**

I rolled my eyes; Eli has no right to tell me what to do.

**I actually just spent the day getting to know him, and he is really nice. Why do **_**you**_** care so much?**

** Because we're friends, and I care about you. **

I felt all warm inside at the consideration this boy shows for me, but then cursed myself for it.

_KC is supposed to make you feel this way, not Eli! Be strong!_

**Well thank you for your concern, but I'm still going to the concert. **

** Fine Clare, do whatever the hell you want. I was only trying to be nice. Goodnight.**

** Night :/**

Defeated, I plugged my phone in on my nightstand to charge. I clenched my eyes shut and tried to will myself to sleep. My active brain had other ideas, however. I was not only stressing out about my dad's absence, but now about the whole Eli/KC issue. I didn't even see why it had to be an issue! I mean, it was only one concert, not the beginning of a whole relationship. Darcy was the one who wanted me to be with KC, not me! Was KC really such a bad guy that Eli would be angry if I went out with him? Or was he..._jealous_?

After about twenty minutes of tossing and turning I gave up and just stared blankly at my ceiling.

_BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ_

My eyes flickered to my phone vibrating on the nightstand. I picked it up and read the displayed text.

**I just can't sleep thinking I upset you. I'm sorry :(**

I smiled inwardly at the butterflies in my stomach.

**Same here. And I'm sorry too. **

** It's fine, Clare, you didn't do anything wrong. Just me being protective and all that. We can talk more about it tomorrow if you want.**

** That sounds good. Goodnight, Eli.**

** Sweet dreams, babe.**

I laid down with my phone in my hand and my hand over my heart. This time, when I closed my eyes, I succumbed into a peaceful slumber instantaneously.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello readers! Thank you so very much for taking time out of your day to read my lousy story. It is deeply appreciated! And double thanks to those who reviewed. You are my drive to write. Have an excellent day! (Oh yeah read, review, and ENJOY!) **

* * *

7th Grade

-MONDAY-

The next morning, I woke up feeling well-rested and confident. The disagreeable weekend was finally over, and school was going to be great! Well, that's what I was telling myself at least. I was mostly just happy that Eli wasn't going to be angry with me about going to the concert with KC. Today was also the first day of newspaper, so that may have added to my cheerfulness.

I put on my favorite floral dress and even whistled as I curled my hair. I was too keyed up to eat breakfast, so I left my mom a note explaining my lateness from school was due to newspaper, grabbed my light bag and ran out the door to the bus stop. I was surprised to see Alli standing there as well. Even though we lived on the same street, Alli never took the bus. Her dad usually brought her before he went to work.

"Hey Alli, how are you on this lovely morning?" I said in a sing-song voice, mimicking Eli's text from the night before.

"Why hello Miss Sunshine. I love that dress and I'm fabulous, thank you. Why are you in such a good mood?" she grinned knowingly.

"Oh no reason. Just excited for school. And why are _you_ taking the bus?"

"Ugh, please don't remind me. My parents found out about Saturday school. Let's just say it was not a pleasant conversation and that my dad is currently shunning me. He won't even take me to school!"

"Wow, that's a bummer. I'm sorry. Do you want to come over after school? You know, get away from the 'rents?" I suggested.

"I can't; I'm grounded for two weeks, no probation. Kill me now. How aren't you grounded?" she asked, knowing very well that my parents were as strict as hers.

"Well...I guess you could say that my mom was a little distracted." I said as the bus pulled up. I got on and Alli followed suit. When I slipped into a seat, I immediately pulled out my ipod. I had no desire to put a damper on my morning with talk of my dad. He was the last thing I wanted in my head when I went into school. But of course, Alli knew there something was off. She grabbed my hand just as it was putting in an ear bud.

"Okay, Cryptic Clare. Tell Mama Bhandari what's the matter."

I laughed at her 'Dr. Phil' voice and nickname, but then grimaced at her request. _Here goes my morning. _

"My dad left, and I don't think that he's coming back." I replied bluntly. Better to rip the bandage off, as Adam says. She gasped and put an arm around my shoulders. "Oh Clare I'm sorry I didn't know. Did he leave his clothes?"

"Um...what?"

"I said, 'did your father leave his clothes'?"

"I don't know, Alli. Why would that be at all relevant?"

"Come on. Haven't you see it in the movies? The dad leaves his family for some cheap whore but has to come home, at least to get his clothes." My stomach dropped at the possibility of that happening. _My dad would never..._

"You know, that really isn't very reassuring. Plus, if it's in the movies then it _must _be true." I said sarcastically.

"Okay, okay. Sorry. I'm sure he'll come back Clare bear. Just give it time. And I'm here if you ever need to talk about it."

Though I knew I wasn't going to ask for her opinion on the subject again, I put my head on her shoulder and said, "Thanks." _Yep, there went my joyful morning._

I listened to Dead Hand on my ipod for the rest of the ride to school. The first few periods went quickly due to the constant imagery that would invade my mind. I thought about my dad off cheating on my mom with a secretary or something, and him coming home only to get his wardrobe. It may not have been probable, but it was definitely possible.

By the time third period came around, I was about ready to call school quits and go to the nurse. Eli was already in his seat, waiting for me.

"Hey." he greeted me blithely.

"Hi." He frowned at my cold demeanor. "Something wrong?"

I took out my notebook and absent-mindlessly started doodling on the cover. "No." In my peripheral vision, I could see that Eli was staring me down.

"Clare, you look like the walking dead. Tell me what's bothering you." he demanded. I looked up at his face then back at my notebook. "Nothing."

"Fine, don't tell me. Do you want to get out of here though?"

I sat up, suddenly interested. "Like...skip?"

"If you want to get official. So what do you say Miss Clare?" He looked so hopeful. _Can't turn down those eyes._

"...okay." He got up and extended his hand out to me. I grabbed it and he pulled me up and out the door. We ran hand in hand down the hallway, feeling like ninjas as we narrowly avoided teachers. I almost had a heart attack when Eli slammed right into the principal as we turned a corner.

"AHHH!" Eli screamed and pulled me away before the principal could recover from the impact of the collision. We escaped out a door that was labeled **TO PARKING LOT**. As soon as the door slammed behind us, we both doubled over in laughter. Eli even rolled onto the ground, clutching his sides. "Oh god, his face-so _priceless._" he managed to say after a long while.

"We- we should get out of here." I tried to remain serious, but ended up laughing anyways. He nodded and got up to pull me away from the school.

..

"Where are we _going_?" I asked Eli for the millionth time. He shook his head yet again. We had been walking down De Grassi Street for the past twenty minutes, and Eli had given me no hint whatsoever as to where we were headed. He just kept towing me along and I was more than happy to let him. I loved being difficult with him though.

"You know, I'm not really in the mood for surprises." I stated matter-of-factually.

"Geez Clare. Have a little faith in me."

"Fine. At least tell me how much longer we'll be walking. I'm cold."

Just as I said this, his hand jerked me to the side and I was pulled into a dark room. My eyes adjusted quickly, and I could see that the room was full of chairs and tables. A restaurant. _An empty restaurant. _

"What do you think?" Eli asked as he guided me to a booth at the back of the restaurant.

"That maybe we shouldn't be in here...?" He laughed. "Oh, Miss Clare. Still no faith in me. _Of course _we should be in here. It's my restaurant, after all." Without waiting for my response, Eli left the booth and disappeared through a metal door next to it. Suddenly, the room lit up. I looked around in awe. The place was magnificent. Covering every inch of all of the walls were posters of countless bands I didn't even know existed. The light sources were string lights and little paper lamps that hung above every table, creating a romantic atmosphere. The thing that caught my eye the most, however, was the stage that covered the right half of the restaurant. It was lit up by an orange neon sign that said The Devil's Den Music Venue and Restaurant. A single stool stood in the middle of the stage. I wondered briefly how many musicians had sung their hearts out on that stool.

Eli slipped into the opposite side of the booth as I took it all in. "Now what do you think?" he asked.

"I think that...this place is awesome! What did you mean by 'it's yours'?"

"I meant that my parents own it and someday, if I want to, I will too." he smiled proudly.

"Wow Eli. This is so cool."

"Eh it's alright," he drawled sarcastically, but then sobered up. "I've never brought any of my friends here before."

I was a little taken aback. "Really? Why not?"

"Oh you know. Classic trust issues. Maybe I'll tell you about it sometime." he chuckled darkly. My eyebrows furrowed. "Then...why did you bring _me_?"

He smiled and played with my hands on the table. "Because I think-no, I _know _that you're different, Miss Clare. You're...genuine."

My face blushed pink at his compliment. I stared down at our intertwined fingers.

"So, now that I've shared my secret place with you, will you tell me what was wrong earlier?" _Oh. A secret for a secret, huh? _Eli was being a great friend and all, but I didn't want to drag him down with my personal problems.

"Well, my secret isn't as good as yours. I can assure you that." I said, trying to deflect the question. He shook his head and rolled his eyes, beckoning me to continue. "I was just worried."

"About?" he asked intently. His sincere concern was all it took for my walls to crumble.

"My parents. Well, more my dad actually. He left my family on Friday after you dropped me off." My voice broke on the last word. Eli lifted our hands to tilt my chin up. He must have seen the tears welling in my eyes because he got up and came around the booth to sit next to me. Wrapping an arm around my shoulder, he said, "I'm sorry."

"It's just...I didn't even say goodbye. I had the chance, but I was a coward. So stupid."

The tears began to roll down my cheeks and I tried to get up. "Sorry, sorry." I muttered. He, however, pulled me back to him so I hid my face in his shoulder.

"Clare, you have nothing to apologize for. You are also not stupid nor a coward. You are smart and beautiful and perfect. I know we haven't known each other for very long, but I just want you to know that I'm here for you Clare. You don't need to hide your feelings from me; I promise I won't ever hurt you or leave if you don't want me to." he finished, rubbing my back soothingly. After a few more minutes of sitting like this, my tears stopped and I mustered up the courage to look into Eli's deep green eyes. They were full of obvious concern.

"You are too." I finally said.

"Huh?" he asked, confused at my random proclamation.

"You said that I'm genuine. Well so are you." I explained.

"Yep, that's me. As genuine as they come." he laughed and pulled back from our embrace to look at me. "You good?"

"I''m feeling much better now, thanks to you."

"Eh, it's kind of my job as your new BFF."

I gasped in mock-horror. "What would Adam say?" He chuckled and shook his head. Out of the blue, I remembered something that had been nagging me.

"Hey Eli, can I ask you something? Sorry it's kind of random."

"Shoot."

"What did KC say about me?" I asked, and instantly Eli tensed up. He dropped his arm from my shoulder.

"Nothing."

"Oh man it was really bad." I guessed.

He stared down at the table. "Just promise me you'll be careful around him Clare. He's not the nice guy you think he is."

"I don't get this. He was super nice to me when we hung out yesterday. He even met my mom and sister!"

"Oh and I bet he was the perfect gentleman, wasn't he?" Eli sneered. "Any guy can do that Clare. All I'm saying is that you shouldn't let your guard down around this kid. He doesn't...mean well."

I sighed, wanting to let the subject go. "Okay, whatever; duly noted. Why don't we do something else?"

..

Eli and I spent a few hours just walking around town after he locked up the restaurant. We went to my favorite bookstore, Porter's. It's set up like a library, but you can go gallivanting through it and talk as loud as your heart desires. Eli of course settled for obnoxiously sonorous. He'd never been there before, and I'm guessing he the enjoyed the freedom very much. I decided it was time to leave when the little kids started to follow his example.

"Nice, Eli. You're the perfect role model." I sniggered as we exited the store.

"Never claimed to be. It's not my fault people can't resist all of this." he gestured to his body.

"Sure. Oh my god, Eli!" I yelled all of a sudden. He jumped at my outburst.

"What?" he yelled back mockingly.

"Oh shut up. Newspaper starts today. I have to go back to school. The meeting starts at 3:30 and it's..." I checked my phone, "oh geez it's already 3:18. We need to go!"

Before he could react, I latched onto his arm and started to run. It would be the only way we'd make it in time. We sprinted headlong down the sidewalk for a good ten minutes and finally reached the front of the school.

"Clare...why...didn't we like...get...a taxi?" Eli asked between his panting.

"Well...that is... a good question..." I smiled sheepishly.

"Oh come on, let's go back to school you little nerd." he teased when his breathing returned to normal. He grabbed my hand and we walked calmly back into the building we'd ran from a few hours before. "_Oh the irony_." Eli drawled. I saw the newspaper room and turned to him. "Do you want to join with me?" I asked.

"Eh...why not? It's not _that _girly. Plus I get to write and be with my new BFFL." he squeezed my hand before he pulled me into the room.

..

"Ugh! Katie is a tyrant!" I complained to Eli after we'd sat through the entire hour meeting.

"I thought she was...inter-no who am I kidding the chick is psycho." We laughed, remembering her ten minute lecture on the importance of being on time after we'd arrived a few seconds late.

"She'll be fun to deal with for the rest of the year. What did you get me into!" I yelled playfully.

"Oh don't pin this on me missy. You and your extra-curriculars. Are you sure you want to join volleyball? I heard Katie was the captain of that too..."

"Well cross volleyball off the list then. Maybe I _will_ do cheerleading with Alli."

"Ooh a cheerleader. So cute." he said in a mock-jock voice. I shoved his shoulder. "Just for that I'm definitely trying out."

He laughed. "Go ahead. Get out there and cheer your little heart out!"

"Maybe I-" I was interrupted by a familiar male behind us.

"Clare! Hey!"

Eli and I turned to see a smiling KC in a sweaty tee shirt and basketball shorts. I felt Eli go rigid at my side.

"Uh hey KC. What's up?"

"Just got out of basketball tryouts. I think I'm in. Where'd you come from? And how come I didn't see you in media immersion today?" he asked, once again ignoring Eli's presence.

"Um...I went to the nurse earlier. I didn't feel very well but now I'm fine. Eli and I just went to the newspaper meeting." I replied.

KC looked down at our linked hands and frowned. The atmosphere was getting tense.

"We're still on for Friday, right?" KC asked. I was confused; _didn't I just say yesterday that we were?_

"Yeah for sure."

"Okay, then I'll see you in class tomorrow?" he asked. I looked at Eli and smirked.

"Most likely, yes. See you there." KC turned to leave but then whipped around to give me a surprise peck on the cheek. I instantly looked to see Eli's reaction. He looked as shocked as he did angry.

"Bye!" KC yelled as he ran down the hallway.

"What the fuck was that?" Eli spat.

"A friendly kiss on the cheek. Nothing you should worry about, surely." I tried to convince him and myself. KC seemed to be growing feelings for me and I knew I didn't return them. Someone else had my full attention...

"Ick, that was definitely _not _friendly. You sure you want to go out with that creep?" he asked.

"Yes, and be nice. He's my friend, just like you."

"Well I'm your BFFL, and you tell me if he tries anything weird. I'll kick his ass for you." he warned.

"Yeah, I'm not sure if that'll be necessary. But thanks, I guess that's kind of sweet in a scary way."

He laughed and tugged on my hand. "Let's go home babe."


	6. Chapter 6

**I apologize ahead of time for this crappy chapter. Maybe you'll enjoy it? I don't know, but thanks for reading it anyways!**

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7th Grade

Not much has happened since Eli and I skipped school on Monday.( I do have to say that I'm surprised that my mom never found out about that by the way. ) I still sit with the two craziest preteen boys in the history of the world, and they continue to shove money my way. For what, one may ask? _Countless Dead Hand souvenirs. _

My week at lunch went something like this:

-TUESDAY-

Adam: Clare, Eli told me that you are going to see Dead Hand on Friday. Is this information plausible? Please tell me you have an extra ticket.

Me: Eli!

Eli: What?

-WEDNESDAY-

Adam: Clare please I'm begging you! I'll pay you extra to sneak backstage and get it.

Eli: Dude, that's kind of messed up, even for you.

Me: Eli is right, I refuse to cut the singer's hair for you!

Adam: Ugh, you just like Eli more than me.

Me: That is not true!

Eli: Don't fight it honey, you know it is.

-THURSDAY-

Eli: Take this twenty! Just one t-shirt!

Adam: Here take thirty, I want a poster too.

Me: You two will be the death of me, I swear. Ugh, just give me the money.

Eli: We do it because we love you.

Adam: Boo yah!

-FRIDAY-

I went to school on Friday feeling so excited. I've never been to a concert, but from what Eli tells me, it's pretty much the funnest thing ever. I had already prearranged everything for tonight. I would leave with KC at 7:00 pm and then he would bring me to Alli's house after the concert. I just told my mom I would be at Alli's all night. Alli agreed on the conditions that I would tell her everything that happened between KC and I after the concert. Darcy also knew the truth, but promised not to say anything to our mom as long as I let her dress me up and do my makeup. Easy deal; I loved her clothes.

During third period English, the only class I really liked, we had a free period to read or talk quietly. I, of course, talked to Eli about tonight.

"So, where's the concert at?" he asked.

"The Wrecking...Ball? I questioned, not quite sure if I said it right until Eli squealed like a girl. I laughed. "I'm guessing that's good?"

"Oh my god Clare that place is legendary! I saw my first In Flames concert there when I was like two years old."

"Wow, that must be a _great_ memory." I said sarcastically and Eli glared at me.

"Hey, my toddler mind remembers enough. Are you sure you're up for that kind of place? It gets kind of crazy there, young grasshopper."

"We're basically the same age! Plus if your two-year-old self can handle it, I'm sure I'll be just fine."

"Sure you will. Just be careful babe. There are a lot of creeps that hang around there. And I wouldn't exclude a certain Bieber look-alike from that category."

"Ugh, I wish you wouldn't call him that. Maybe after the concert we can all hang out and be friends. Everyone could use more friends, right?"

"Eh, not my style. I like having a few friends, not a whole party full."

"Fine. Just know I'll hold you to that when you become popular and have a raging party all of the sudden. It_ will _come back to bite you." I warned.

"Sure, 'cause that's ever going to happen." he laughed and I shoved his arm. "Oh yeah, are you going to get the stuff for Adam and I?" I gave him a disbelieving look, for we had gone over this a million plus times. He smiled sheepishly and put his hands up in defense.

"Okay, I'll take that as a yes. Adam just wanted me to thank you and tell you to get him a large t-shirt."

"And why couldn't he tell me that at lunch next period?" I asked, confused by the randomness of his statement. Eli usually doesn't talk about Adam without him there.

"He's not going to be here today. Doctor's appointment or something." he shrugged.

"Okay...and what size should I get you, buff man?" I grinned teasingly.

"Get me a small. I like 'em tight." He wiggled his eyebrows and laughed but I was confused. "Ugh never mind, I forgot your title as Saint Clare was actually somewhat accurate."

I narrowed my eyes. _What is that supposed to mean? _"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" I voiced my thoughts.

"Nothing personal, Miss Clare. You just don't get it when I make dirty jokes. You'll learn someday, babe."

For some reason, his answer made me really angry. I hated being talked to like I was five years old. Even if I _hadn't _understood his joke, he didn't have to call me out on it and make me feel stupid. With a shake of the head, I pushed up from my desk and walked over to a group of girls, ignoring Eli's obnoxious calls for me to come back. The girls names were Fiona, Marisol, and Lily. I had talked to them on one day last week when Eli wasn't in English. I guess one could call them my back-up friends. _Wow I sound so conceited._

"Hey." I greeted them as they let me into their little circle.

Marisol turned to me and she flashed her bright white teeth. "Oh hey Clare bear! We were just talking about you." I pretended not to see when Fiona slapped her wrist and gave her a look.

"Oh yeah? ...I hope nothing bad." I said.

"Of course not Clare! We just want to know the deal with you and Eli over there." Lily grinned. I really didn't like that girl. She seemed kind of...fake. She had bleach blond hair with pink extensions underneath and globs of eyeliner around her eyes. Well, they all seemed fake but what are you gonna do when they're your only back-up friends?

"The deal?"

"Yeah are you two dating or what?" Lily asked a little too enthusiastically. Fiona looked like she wanted to punch Lily's lights out.

I laughed nervously when I felt my face burning. "Uh no we're just really good friends. But he decided to be an ass and I don't want to talk about him when I'm angry."

Darcy says that's how rumors start. A girl is angry at another girl or boy and can't help but say something horrible about them. People will always misconstrue what said girl meant, and make it sound worse than it was when they tell it to their other friends. I think that I have better self control than that, though.

"Ooh, what did he do?" Lily pushed and Fiona finally spoke up," Lily! Did you not just hear the girl? She said she doesn't want to talk about him!" Lily rolled her eyes and the two glared at each other. I decided right then that Fiona was my favorite of the three.

"Anyways," Marisol began, cutting through the tense silence, "You should totally try out for cheer leading, Clare. Lily and I can't get Fiona to climb aboard, but she's always being difficult. It's so much fun!"

"Really? I _was_ actually thinking about joining with my friend Alli." I said.

Just then, the bell rang, and we all hopped up from our desks. "Clare, you should walk with us to lunch!" they all said in unison. It was kind of funny, and I resisted the urge to laugh in their faces. As for the invitation, I hesitated. I peeked at the door, where Eli stood waiting for me. He looked lonely and I couldn't stay mad at him for long. It just wasn't possible.

"Sorry, I can't today. Maybe some other time?"

A chorus of "totally"s filled the emptying room. I turned around and walked up to Eli, trying my best not to smile at his laughter as we filed out into the hall.

"Robots! This school is full of robots!" he exclaimed dramatically.

"Oh be nice. I'm still mad at you." I said.

"For what? I was only speaking the truth. You should read or something."

I glared at him and suddenly dreaded the alone time we were going to have for the entire lunch.

"Whatever." I muttered.

After Eli and I got our food, we sat across from each other in silence. He would glance at me occasionally but I just stared at my french fries. Eli had gotten me mad angry at him all over again. It's like he doesn't even know how to apologize. _Stupid boys._

Forty-three minutes of awkward, tension filled silence passed and then lunch was over. I've never felt so relieved. Eli muttered a half ass "well, have fun at the concert." and walked away from the table. I glared at his back and made a silent vow to buy him the most girly shirt from the concert.

The next class I had was media immersion with KC, and I was excited to talk to him. He was the only one who never pestered me about the concert, and for that I was grateful. I walked into the room and sat on the bouncy ball chair next to his.

"Hi Clare, how are you?" he greeted me sweetly.

"Excited for tonight! How about you?" I asked.

"Same, I'm definitely looking forward to our date." he replied and I turned to my computer to hide my grimace.

"Yeah..." I muttered and logged in to my account. There was an assignment on the screen that would take up the rest of the class time. KC and I worked in silence, but that was only because I put my headphones on to avoid talking to him. I wasn't in the mood to lead him on anymore. It made me feel horrible for even accepting the concert ticket.

School dragged on for the rest of the periods, but when It ended I was newly ecstatic. The first thing I did when I got home was run to Darcy's room. She was in there waiting to ambush me.

"Oh my god how come it took so long for you to get here? We have so much work to do!"

I laughed at her over-enthusiasm, and took a seat on her bed. "Darcy, please don't go overboard with this. KC thinks that he and I going on a date..."

"And you don't?" Darcy asked as she rushed around her room, tossing clothes on the bed.

"Well, I like him more as a friend, and-" she cut me off when she threw a leather jacket at my face.

"Try that on, and give KC a chance." she demanded. I resigned with a sigh. "Whatever you say, Darce."

Darcy spent three whole hours on making me look like I belonged at The Wrecking Ball. She finished her 'masterpiece' at exactly 6:55, so I had barely five minutes to mentally prepare myself for this _date. _In the end, I just did some deep breathing and looked at myself in the mirror. I had to admit, Darcy is a miracle worker. She managed to make me look like a rocker chick with a simple leather jacker, black dress over tights, and smoky eyeshadow. It was cold outside, so I also threw on a scarf with her approval. I smiled at my appearance before picking up my buzzing phone.

**hey clare im outside.**

Darcy squealed as she read over my shoulder and shoved me to the door. I grabbed my overnight bag for Alli's house later and opened the door.

"Darcy, if mom asks about me, just tell her that I was tired so I'm already asleep. I don't want her to call me when I'm at the concert." I whispered to her and she nodded quickly and ushered me outside. KC was standing against a red mini van that was parked on the street. I walked up to him and he smiled.

"You look really ho- I uh mean pretty. Sorry, my mom has to drive us to the concert." he said.

"That's fine. And thanks you look good too." I replied, eying his black skinny jeans and t-shirt. Really, he didn't look any different, but I wasn't going be rude and not compliment him back.

"Thanks. Well, we should get going." He slid open the side door and climbed into the middle seat. I went in after him and sat in the adjacent chair to his. A middle aged woman turned back in the driver's seat and smiled warmly at me as she held out her hand.

"Hey Clare I'm KC's mom. Call me Lisa." she said and I shook her hand. I felt more comfortable here knowing KC's mother was nice.

"It's nice to meet you Lisa." I replied politely.

"I love your outfit dear. I tried to make KC change into something more presentable but you know boys. They never want to be told what to do." she laughed and started the car.

"Mom." KC groaned.

"Hey, I'm just talking truth. Let's get you two to the concert!"

The drive to the concert wasn't too long, but really awkward. KC fought with his mother about every little thing she said, not even caring that he had a guest in the car. I almost felt as though I needed to apologize for KC's actions when his mom dropped us off. I didn't, but I did give her a small sad smile, which she returned.

"Lisa, may I please leave my overnight bag in here? I'd rather just carry my purse in there if you don't mind."

"Of course honey. I'll pick you guys up at 10:00. Call if you need anything."

We waved her off, and then KC and I entered the front of The Wrecking Ball together. There was a booth at the front where a guy was taking tickets. KC gave him ours, and he stamped our hands before allowing us into dimly lit venue. The first thing I saw was a table with a bunch of t-shirts and other merchandise on it.

"Ooh KC, I need to get something for my friends."

KC nodded and we headed over to the table. I scanned the assortment of t-shirts and posters and decided quickly. I paid the merch guy for two t-shirts and one poster and looked back at KC.

"Ready?" he asked. I nodded and we walked into the actual concert room.

The music was so loud, the place was literally vibrating beneath my feet. There were jumping bodies packed into a tightly knit bunch in front of the stage, and a few still bodies standing further apart near the back. Eli told me the real fun is always in the middle, but a young girl like me should stay away from the mosh pits. _Yeah right, Eli._

"Come on." I grabbed KC's hand and led him past the standoffish people in the back and into the middle of the crowd. Teenagers were jumping and running around in a circle, slamming into one another and having the time of their lives. This must be a mosh pit. I looked at KC and he shook his head.

"I'm going in, KC. You don't have to if you don't want." I yelled over the music and he didn't even try to stop me as ran into the chaotic circle pit.

Shoved to the left.

Slammed into on the right.

Pushed backwards.

Forwards and down to the ground.

Shoes kicking and crushing all over.

Pitch black.

* * *

**O_O Is Clare okay? Any guesses as to what happens next? By the way, her outfit for the date is posted on my profile. Goodbye for now beloved readers!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey...It's been a very long time. I was very uninspired, and I don't know if anyone still wants to read this. So, if you are reading this pleeease do me a favour and post a review, just so I know if I should continue writing this story. I love all of you, just as much as eclare in Season 12!**

* * *

7th Grade

My thoughts were a in a jumble and colors swirled behind my closed eyes. I may have been in a deep sleep, a coma, or just plain dead. I couldn't even tell, but all I knew was that I was consciously thinking while unconscious. _Not that that makes any sense. _Nothing was really making any sense. What is happening to me?

"Baby girl, are you alright?" a soft voice asked. I felt my own body for the first time and cried out in pain. "Okay, I'll take that as a _no." _the mystery woman laughed. I clenched my eyes shut, trying to block out the world and all the pain that came along with it. I was laying on something hard and cold, most likely the ground. I couldn't remember what had happened that made me feel so terrible, but it surely couldn't have been a cozy sleepover at Alli's house. That's where I was supposed to be, right?

"Honey, can you tell me your name? We should call your parents. Do they know you're here?"

"No." I groaned. And that's when it all hit me. Tonight was my date with KC, and I left him to go mosh with the best of them. I guess that would explain the unbearable ache in all of my limbs and head. I opened my eyes to find a middle-aged blonde woman looking down at me with a half concerned, half amused expression. I craned my neck painfully to get a better look at my surroundings. I was still in the concert venue, but now off to the side by the tables. There were a few groups of people over at the bar, but all I could think of was where KC was.

. "Do you need to make a phone call or a ride honey? My husband and I were just about to leave, but I saw you laying here and we obviously can't abandon you like the rest of the suckers here. What do you say baby girl?"

I shakily replied, "Can you take me to my friend's house please?" This woman doesn't seem like she'll let anything happen to me. After all, she did just offer to call my mother for me. Screw stranger danger.

"Of course. Now let's get you up. Honey, can you help me?" she called over to someone at the bar. A burly man I recognized turned and started walking towards us.

"Bullfrog!" I squealed, causing my headache to intensify. I groaned and the blond woman hovered protectively over me, asking if I was alright. I assured her that I was, just as Bullfrog made his way to us.

"Mosh pit, Clare?" he scolded. I nodded, and the blond lady suddenly squealed right in my ear. _Ow._

"You're Clare? Oh my gosh baby girl, Eli has told us so much about you. I'm Cece,Eli's mom. Oh my gosh you're so much prettier in person. Now we definitely have to help you. Bullfrog, get this lovely girl of the cold ground, please."

Bullfrog obliged, scooping me up bridal-style. He carried me out of the venue with Cece walking next to us the entire time. She was animatedly talking about Eli's past experiences in mosh pits, but I could barely hear her. My head was throbbing so bad that I couldn't even think straight. I looked down at my body when Bullfrog laid me down in the backseat of his convertible, and almost gagged at the sight. I had bruises and cuts all over my arms and legs, including one particularly nasty gash on my knee that was bleeding immensely. Where my tights and leather jacket went, was a mystery. I was also lacking in the shoe department. I started to cry.

"Oh Clare, we're going to take you home real quick and get that all cleaned up, if you're okay with that?" I nodded tearfully and Cece continued, "I can't believe the medics weren't called. Poor girl, who brought you to the concert?"

I racked my brain for the answer to that question, and through the thick haze that was my mind, I found it. "KC." I choked out.

I watched as Bullfrog and Cece exchanged surprised glances, and then stayed silent the rest of the way there. _What was that about? _Finally, the car stopped moving and I sat up to look at our destination. We were parked in the driveway to a house that looked similar to my own, but it had a brick exterior and larger lawn. This was Eli's house. A thought suddenly occurred to me. "Uh is Eli here right now?"

"Better be. The kid insists on sneaking out sometimes, even though he knows we'll let him go most places." Bullfrog said.

I laughed. _Ow. _That sounded like Eli's style. Always the rebel, even when he doesn't need to be.

Bullfrog got out and carried me again to the door where I asked him to let me down. My legs were pretty painful to stand on, but I could manage. I didn't need Eli to have another reason to tease me. We went inside, and Cece had me sit at the kitchen counter while she went to go find her first aid kit. Bullfrog disappeared upstairs after bidding me a goodnight. _Yep, this night is just great._

"Mom? Is that you gu- Clare?" Eli exclaimed, probably confused as to why the heck I was in his house.

"Hey Eli. Nice house you have here." I replied as if this situation was normal. I grinned at his dumbfounded expression. He walked over to stand right next to me, and raised his hand to my face. He lightly caressed my cheek, where I'm guessing I had another bruise. My breath caught in my throat when he whispered, "I'm going to kill him."

Just as I was about to respond, Cece walked in the room, carrying a first aid kit and a bunch of makeup in her arms. She looked between the two of us and grinned cheekily.

"Sorry to interrupt baby boy, but I need to get this beautiful girl cleaned up. Why didn't you tell me she was _this_ pretty?"

I giggled as Eli struggled to answer, obviously embarrassed and frustrated with his mother. "She uh- well I...I told you...ugh I'm just going to stop talking now." he finally got out. Eli scooted over to allow Cece room to clean and dress my cuts. I winced as she dabbed a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol on the gash on my leg. Eli grabbed my hand and held it the entire time. I smiled gratefully at him and he gave me a small smirk in return. Cece finished with the first aid, but asked if I wanted her to put cover up on the bruises on my face. I agreed, knowing that Alli's parents would definitely say something to my mom if they saw me with a black and purple face.

"I need to talk to Clare." Eli told his mother when she finished with my makeup. She nodded and slipped out of the room to give us some privacy. I gulped as Eli sat next to me, his eyes never once leaving mine. "Clare, I'm not going to bite. I just want to know what happened." he eased.

I sighed. He was going to be pissed. "I...went in a mosh pit. I'm sorry, I know you told me not to. I was just still angry at you for calling me naive, and I felt reckless, and I don't know. It was dumb, obviously. I'm sorry."

Eli sat there with his mouth open, seemingly shocked at my answer. "...You got yourself almost killed because of _me_?" I narrowed my eyes, because that was not what I said.

"Eli, I never said that."

"But it was implied! God, if I wasn't such an asshole earlier, this would have never happened. You would have listened to my advice, and you wouldn't be covered in cuts and bruises and you would probably be home safe with KC or Alli or whoever, not here with me, most likely in immense pain. Oh my gosh, this is all my-"

"Eli! Eli, calm down! You're getting way too upset about this. I'm fine, it doesn't hurt that bad. And this is not your fault, if anyone's it's mine. KC tried to stop me, kind of... I should have listened, but I didn't. Call me stupid or naive all you want, but it can't change what happened."

"Oh Clare, I'm sorry I made you feel that way. You are the smartest and coolest girl I know. _I _was the one being stupid, acting so rude towards my best friend. Forgive me?"

I pretended to think about it, just to mess with him a little. In truth, he had already been forgiven before the concert, but I was just too stubborn to acknowledge this.

"Clare, I'm dying over here." Eli reminded me.

"Of course I forgive you." I said, and Eli immediately pulled me in for a hug. My vision turned blurry for a second due to the sudden movement and I collapsed against Eli's chest. He steadied me, holding me at arms length.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded, unsure of the answer myself. "Did you like hit your head?"

"Well I think I fainted, so maybe I did. But I'm okay, don't worry, just a little dizzy." I assured him. He looked skeptical, and called his mom back in the room.

"Mom, I think Clare has a concussion." he said and I gasped._ I told him I was fine, why is he assuming things?_

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"First of all, Clare. You may or may not have noticed, but your speech is slurred like crazy. Second of all, you almost fell on me, claiming you were 'dizzy'. And lastly, the situation fits perfectly. You fainted and there is a bruise on your face, so obviously you sustained some trauma to the head. Trust me, I've had a concussion before. We should take her to the hospital, Cece."

His mom just nodded and left the room quickly. Eli helped me up from the chair I was in, and held most of my weight when I leaned into him. "Eli, my mom can't find out about this!" I whispered.

"She won't, we don't have to tell her. My parents aren't the tattle-tale types." he laughed. I let out a sigh of relief, and whispered, "Thank you Eli," into his ear. He just grinned down at me and we walked together into the living room.

"Baby girl you don't have any shoes or a jacket," Cece pointed out. I shrugged, and Eli sat me on the couch before running upstairs. He came down with a black jacket and a pair of Vans in his hands.

"Thanks." I smiled and put both on before we headed out into the cold night.

* * *

"So just take two Tylenol tonight and if the headache persists tomorrow, take two more with six hour intervals in between. I would advise that if the pain or symptoms do not stop after three days, that you come back and we can check for any abnormalities. Remember to get a lot of rest, Miss Goldsworthy," Dr. Chris instructed me. I was using Eli's last name so Cece could sign the papers for me. Probably not the smartest choice, but you do what you gotta do.

"I will, thank you Dr. Chris," I said and he walked out of the hospital room. Cece followed him out while Eli helped me up, as my legs still hurt a lot. Eli grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers as we walked out of the hospital room. I smiled at the comforting gesture.

"Thank you Eli. I don't know where I'd be without you or your parents."

"Not a problem, babe. I'm just glad you're somewhat okay. I cannot believe that KC just left you at the concert. What a douche." he scoffed. I gave him a warning glare, but he glared right back. "Well he is. What kind of a guy lets his date go into a mosh pit, get the shit beaten out of her, and then leaves without her? Sounds like a charmer, Clare."

Despite his despicable language, I kind of agreed with Eli. Why would KC just leave me like that?

"Oh my gosh!" I yelled, and Eli jumped. "What? What's wrong?" he asked frantically.

"He has my purse." I explained. Eli rolled his eyes and smirked.

"Oh, don't worry Clare, I'll get your purse back. I was going to have a nice little chat with him anyways."

I remained silent, knowing that there was nothing I could say to make Eli change his mind right now. I would just have to be there to stop him before he tries to get physical with KC.

"You kids ready to go?" Cece asked. We nodded and walked back to the car. Eli sat with me in the back, as opposed to the passenger's seat. My heart warmed at his consideration. I squeezed his hand as a sign of my appreciation, and he reciprocated; showing he understood. With my directions, Cece drove me to Alli's house. The car ride was pretty much silent, but I made sure to thank Cece at least five times before getting out of the car. Eli and I said our goodbyes before I sneaked in the sliding glass door to Alli's bedroom.

"Clare?" Alli whisper-shouted from the comfort of her bed. I walked up to the opposite side of the bed and slipped Eli's Vans off. I threw myself onto the bed and closed my eyes.

"In the morning." I said, and without any further explanation I drifted into a deep sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello, readers! I was so thrilled with the responses to my last chapter that I wanted to update ASAP. This chapter seems like it has ALOT of scenes in it, but I think you can keep up! Read, review, and enjoy!**

**Oh and to that question about Julia...well we'll all just have to find out ;) They _are _only in Grade 7 right now. Anything can happen in the future.**

* * *

7th Grade

-SATURDAY MORNING-

I woke up in Alli's bed, my body feeling like it was hit by a truck. My head still hurt, so I took that as an immediate sign to take some Tylenol. I dug through the pockets in Eli's leather jacket (which I was still wearing), and found the small vial. I tried to be as quiet as possible as I crept to Alli's bathroom to get some water, but luck just wasn't on my side right then.

"Clare Edwards. I need details. Details!" Alli yelled, strangely energetic for someone who just woke up. I winced and told her to keep down the volume, and that I'd give her her 'details' after I took my pill. She followed me into the bathroom however. "Why do you need Tylenol? Was the music really loud? Did you and KC party really hard? Clare, give me _something._"

After swallowing one huge red capsule with tap water, I turned to Alli. "Okay, Alli, you want to know the truth? Last night was disastrous. KC was being so rude to his mom the entire drive to the concert venue, and when we got there I decided to go into a mosh pit, even though Eli told me not to. I ended up unconscious on the ground covered in cuts and bruises at the end of the concert, and KC was gone. He _left _me there." I started to tear up at the end of my monologue, the realization hitting me worse than last night. Alli came over and gave me a hug, telling me that it was alright, and that she would beat the crap out of KC on Monday. I shook my head at the second part. Although it was nice to know my friends were so protective of me, I think I'd rather know KC's side of the story before anyone gets hit.

"So...how did you get here?" Alli asked and I smiled, my tears disappearing.

"Eli's parents found me at the concert. Eli and his mom took me to the hospital, where I was diagnosed with a minor concussion, hence the Tylenol." I said, motioning to the vial on the sink. "And then they brought me here."

Alli was grinning like a fool so I had to ask, "What?"

"Oh, nothing. Just seems like Eli cares a lot about you. Is that his jacket?" she asked and I nodded sheepishly. She suddenly started jumping up and down, singing "Clare and Eli sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-"

"Geez, Alli. Did I not just say I have a minor concussion? And just because I'm wearing his jacket doesn't mean he likes me. He says I'm his 'best friend'." I frowned.

"And you want more than that, don't you?" Alli guessed.

"Do I?" I was pretty unsure of my answer, as I had never felt anything like this before.

* * *

-SUNDAY-

"Thank you, Pastor Dan. That was a lovely sermon." my mom said as we exited our church. I was surprised that we actually went to mass this Sunday, for we didn't last Sunday. I guess my mom had a change of heart.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. And where is Mr. Edwards, dear?" Pastor Luke asked. I was interested to see how she would answer this myself.

"Oh, he's traveling for work right now, but I'm sure he wishes he could be here today." my mom lied. I rolled my eyes and let Darcy drag me to her car. Darcy got in the driver's seat, while I sat in the back, behind the passenger's seat. She turned around to face me.

"I don't think he's coming back." she deadpanned. I nodded, my throat feeling too thick for speaking. She turned back around, but I could tell that she was crying by the way her shoulders shook and the small noises that came from her. "I'm sorry I made you go on that date, Clare." she choked out. _This is what she's worried about? _I remember the conversation we had once I got home from my sleepover, and it was similar to mine and Alli's on Saturday. I didn't know she felt guilty about pushing a relationship with KC.

"Darcy it's not your fault. Where is this coming from anyways? I thought we were talking about dad..."

"We are! Can't you see? If dad were here, he would have known weird something was up, and you wouldn't have gone on that date and get yourself injured."

Okay, now she just sounded insane. "Darcy, we would have made sure dad didn't know I was going to the concert even if he was here, so don't act like this could have been prevented. And I'm _fine, _really. For the last time, this is not anyone's fault but my own, and I am alive and well. My head doesn't even hurt anymore."

I was not going to explain myself any further. My head did still hurt, and when I walked I felt slightly off balance, but voicing this would just cause more grief than necessary. _I'll just take a few Tylenol when I get home. _

"Okay." Darcy sighed, seemingly defeated. My mom opened up the passenger door and leaned in.

"You girls go on home. Pastor Dan and I are going to go out to eat. Darcy watch Clare for me, please. I'll see you at home later. Love you girls."

We murmured our assent, and my mom skipped back to the church where Pastor Dan was waiting for her. As Darcy pulled out of the parking lot, I watched my mother giggle at something our pastor was saying, and touch his arm. I felt an uncomfortable churning in my stomach.

"_That's _peculiar." I muttered. Darcy just cranked up the radio, and the ride home was really tense, something that made me sad; Sunday masses usually made me feel great.

When Darcy and I got home, she let me out of her car. I looked back at her, expecting her to follow me into the house, but she said she was going out with her boyfriend, Peter, because I owed her for covering the whole concert thing. It was then that I realized that Darcy's guilt was either entirely false or just really short-lived. I promised to text her when our mom came home, nonetheless.

I went inside my house, my desired destination being the medicine cabinet in my mom's room. I pulled out the Tylenol from the plethora of vials and scanned the back for the dosage information. _Let's see...two pills every four to six hours as pain persists... _I remembered my mom taking more than that for a headache before, and my concussion was really starting to become unbearable. I decided I would take a few extra pills, because in the end what were a few little caplets compared to a thirteen-year-old body? After dry-swallowing my pills, I pulled out my phone to find two unread texts. I read the first, from an hour ago.

**How are you feeling today honey? Cece says she's willing to take you to the hospital if your head still hurts... **

I blushed at his common use of a pet name. I don't think I'll ever get used to that, or any of the feelings I get with Eli. It's an unusual sensation that could only be explained as half nauseous, half giddy. I looked at my other text before I responded to him. The difference between the two texts was almost comical.

**um...i have your purse & bag. ill give thm back tmrw**

I growled, and decided not to text that jerk back. Everything would be taken care of tomorrow, or at least that's what I told myself.

**I'm feeling okay, home alone again. :/ Please thank Cece for me, but I don't think going to the hospital is really necessary; my head's fine.**

Okay, I may have been sugarcoating the pain I was feeling, but the Tylenol was quickly starting to kick in, especially since I took like six of them. My phone buzzed again.

**Want to hang? I know I hate being home alone, so maybe you want some company...or not, no pressure.**

Scoffing, I texted him right back **Of course I want company silly, come on over.**

I stumbled into my bedroom to change out of my demure church dress, and into a more comfortable outfit consisting of jeans and a thin pink v-neck. I briefly glanced in the mirror, but reminded myself that I didn't have to try and impress Eli. He was a friend, nothing more, nothing less.

**Can Adam come? Sorry he's already with me, and we're outside your house so you don't really have a choice unless you decide to not answer the door. ;)**

Laughing at Eli's wonderful logic, I waltzed downstairs to the door. I threw it open and found two of my favorite people, each carrying something different. Adam walked forwards first, and shoved the string to a GET WELL SOON balloon into my hand. "Get well soon, Clare bear!" he said. I laughed groggily.

"Thanks Adam. This is really sweet of you."

He groaned. "Yep, knew I'd get a mushy response. Oh well, I guess I can take one for the team, eh, Eli?" he nudged Eli, who was holding a bouquet of yellow tulips in his hands. I didn't know what that little interaction was about, and yet I didn't intend on finding out. Adam then proceeded to push past me into my house and go sit on the living-room sofa. "Alone time!" he mouthed to us. I blushed and giggled, while Eli just rolled his eyes, but I could definitely detect a rare pink hue to his face.

"For you," he said, holding the flowers out to me. I grinned really wide and took them, burying my nose in their delicious scent for a few seconds.

"Thank you Eli. How did you know tulips are my favorite?"

"Well...Cece may have helped me out there," he admitted. "I felt I needed to compensate for barging in on you with little warning. And there's also the tiny fact that you sustained a serious injury to the head and flowers make people feel better. Feel better." He smiled.

Was he serious? And why did I feel like I was floating on cloud nine? "That's...that's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thanks again." I threw my arms around his neck and smiled when I felt his arms wrap around my waist. We stayed like that for a long time, me not even seeing the point of letting go when all I wanted was to stay in that spot forever.

"Ahem." Adam cleared his throat loud enough to be heard from the living room. I pulled away from our embrace unwillingly, but grabbed Eli's hand to drag him into the living room.

"So, what did you boys plan for us today? Or are we just winging it?" I asked.

"Clare, I thought you knew us." Adam drawled. I shook my head, still confused, and Eli sighed.

"Video games. Ready to get your butt whooped-figuratively this time- Miss Clare?"

I shook my head. "You two are _so _on."

..

"Hey well I gotta head home. This was fun; beating you two at every single match of Wii tennis and baseball. We should do it again sometime."

Eli punched Adam's shoulder. "Hey, Clare and I _did_ kick your ass at Mario Kart several times, thank you very much. But yeah, I liked hanging out like this. We should have like a group name like the Three Musketeers." he joked.

"How about The Misfits?" I suggested playfully. Eli and Adam, however, nodded and agreed that we would secretly call ourselves the Misfits. _Oh, we are such losers. _

"See you guys at lunch tomorrow." Adam said and strutted down the sidewalk towards his house. Eli looked at me while I looked at the ground. Something didn't feel right. I had been trying to hide it throughout our video gaming session, but now that we were out in broad daylight, it was hitting me like a ton of bricks. Eli randomly put his palm to my forehead, while I stood there like an idiot.

"Woah, are you feeling alright Clare? You're burning up."

I was about to respond, but then a wave of nausea rolled over me. And this was not the Eli/giddy type of nausea. I clamped my hand over my mouth and ran up the path to my house. _Please make it. Please make it. _I didn't make it. I ended up upchucking into the bushes by the front door. Eli stayed back, probably disgusted with me.

"You- can go home- now." I gasped as I finished emptying the contents of my stomach onto the landscape.

"Uh, so not happening. What's wrong Clare? You seemed fine a few hours ago." Eli said as he opened the door for us to head inside. I preceded him in walking to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. My throat felt horrible now, and I sighed in relief when the cool liquid washed over it.

"I feel like shit." I muttered, not even caring at the moment that I cursed.

I saw Eli texting someone really fast. He didn't even look up when I called him. I tried again. "Eli! Jesus Christ who could you be texting right now?"

He seemed phased by my blasphemy, quickly looking up from his phone to shoot me an odd look. "Who are you texting?" I repeated, softer now.

"My dad, he says you should be taken you to the hospital. Where is your mom?"

"...out with our pastor. But Eli, I really don't want to go back to the hospital. I'm fine now, just a little tired." And it was true, I really just wanted a good nap.

"Okay...but I'm staying here until your mom gets back. This could be serious." he said, and I couldn't help but giggle at the uncharacteristic authority he was exuding. He laughed with me, most likely at the same thing. I walked into the living room and handed Eli the television remote. I laid down on the couch and Eli lifted my legs so he could sit beneath them. I peered at him through half-lidded eyes, and he was looking at me with such a concerned face that I felt the need to whisper, "Thanks again, Eli. You're the best."

"Get it all the time." he joked quietly. "Get some rest, honey. I'm not going anywhere."

-HOURS LATER-

"CLARE DIANE EDWARDS. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" I awoke to the screeches of none other than my father. Eli had somehow ended up flush against me on the small couch, fast asleep. _Oh my..._


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you so much to all who reviewed, even my sister lol. Here is chapter 9 to Highs and Lows! Things will be speeding up a bit after this guys! She can't stay a sevie forever! And UNA PREGUNTA; would you guys totally hate it if I put Eli's POV in this story? I've been writing Clare for nine stinkin chapters now and she is a little too naive for my tastes sometimes (not always!), and also I want to give Eli's character some real depth. So I'm considering changing POVs, let me know what you think about that! That's all for now, hope you all enjoy the chapter! I do not own any of the movies mentioned, or Degrassi of course.**

**Wow that was long. READ NOW, go! :)**

* * *

7th Grade

My eyes bulged out of their sockets at the stitch I found myself in. Eli and I awkwardly disengaged ourselves from the position we'd found ourselves in on the couch; arms and legs entwined with our foreheads touching. This must have looked so wrong in anyone's eyes but Eli's and my own. No wonder my dad-who just came home from an entire week of absence- was cussing me out in front of my friend.

"Dad, dad- please stop yelling. This is my friend Eli, he just came over and we played video games with our other friend Adam. Then I wasn't feeling well so Eli, he-"

"I don't want to hear this! I leave for a fucking week and you're already sleeping around like a little whore! Can't say I'm shocked, with only your mom taking care of you, you were bound to turn to shit. Speaking of, where is Helen, I need to talk to her about these divor-"

To my surprise and great appreciation, Eli interrupted my father's ridiculous rant. "Sir, I'm sorry that you did not know I was here, but Clare and I honestly did nothing wrong. I don't even know how we ended up laying like that. You see, your daughter-"

And the cycle of interrupting continued. "Do not try to tell me anything about my daughter! Do you think I was born yesterday, boy? I know teenage boys cause I was one, and I definitely know my daughter. So don't you go tellin' me 'bout my little Clare bear. You get out of my house NOW!" Eli just sat next to me, gripping my hand as tightly as I was gripping his. "I said GET OUT!" my dad yelled. Well, I wouldn't really call this man my dad.

_My _dad would never have acted this...unhinged. It was utterly terrifying to say the least, and I was glad Eli was still at my side. He whispered hurriedly into my ear, "I'm fairly sure he's wasted, so I'll go outside and call my dad to pick us both up. Go hide in your bedroom for now."

I shot him a horrified look, for I didn't want him to leave me here with this madman that I called my father just a week ago. Eli gave me a small reassuring smirk and squeezed my hand before getting up from the couch. My dad was standing in between the door and the couch, so Eli had to skirt his way around him, barely dodging my dad's flailing arms. I don't think I've ever seen my dad drink, let alone get _drunk _enough to go on a rampage. He was muttering incoherent things to himself now, all the while glaring at me with red eyes. I heeded Eli's suggestion, and hopped off the side of the sofa to run to my room. When I got there, I locked the door and let myself slide down it. This was too much. I still felt sick from earlier, and now my father's unanticipated arrival had me feeling over the edge. My whole body was shaking uncontrollably in sync with my sobs, and a wave of nausea overcame me. I shakily crawled into my bathroom, and violently threw up for the second time that day. When was this going to end?

After brushing my teeth, I went back into my room and let myself fall onto my bed. Tears were still running a torrent down my face, but I couldn't help it. _What happened to my dad?_

A clinking sound came from my bedroom window, and I looked out it to find Eli gesturing for me to come outside. Bullfrog's car was parked in front of the house, in which I assumed he was waiting for us. I shook my head at Eli and he threw his hands up in confusion and possibly exasperation. I mouthed to him a "sorry", but he seemed pretty set on getting me out of here. Eli stalked over to his dad's convertible, yelling something I couldn't make out. His dad soon emerged, putting one hand on Eli's chest to hold him back. Bullfrog continued up the path to my house, and he vanished from view right as I heard a _Ding. _

Wide eyed, I sprinted out of my bedroom and down the stairs as fast as I could. But of course I didn't get there in time, and I had to stand behind and watch my dad embarrass both of us.

"Who are you?" my dad asked Bullfrog rudely.

"Bullfrog, nice to meet ya. I'm just here to pick up Clare for school. My daughter Katie is in the car, waiting. Can't be late for some good old academics!"

I laughed inwardly, despite the fact that this situation so wasn't funny. It's Sunday, Bullfrog just called Eli 'Katie', and he's keeping a perfect poker face. Admirable man.

"Okay, well Clare's grounded so I don't want her going anywhere but straight to school, you got that?"

Bullfrog nodded.

"CLARE GET YOUR BUTT DOWN HERE!" my dad hollered right in Bullfrog's face, not realizing I was a foot behind him. I pushed past him without a word and preceded Bullfrog to the convertible. I got in the back seat, where Eli immediately pulled me in for a hug. I let myself crumble to pieces.

"He- I've been- I can't even- I just-" I gasped. Eli held me tighter, and repeated calming words like "It'll get better." or "I've got you."

* * *

-THAT NIGHT-

Bullfrog took Eli and I to a retro movie theater in downtown Toronto. It was an obvious last ditch attempt to distract and cheer me up. I had cried for a good twenty minutes during the car ride, and Eli gave up trying to calm me down at Bullfrog's suggestion. We drove in silence after I found tears were helping no one, (quite the opposite; I'm fairly sure I saw Bullfrog tearing up in the rear view mirror) and decided to shut myself up.

"Let's see here...Sixteen Candles, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and Ferris Beuller's Day Off are about to play. What do you kids wanna watch?" Bullfrog asked Eli and I. Eli looked at me for an opinion, but I just shrugged. I wasn't in the mood for any of this.

"Dracula has my vote." Eli replied, and when Bullfrog looked at me for assurance, and I faked a smile and mumbled an "okay."

The movie was probably really scary, as I heard occasional screeches in the dark theater and a few people even sprinted out. Eli and his dad, who were sitting on opposite sides of me, laughed and made commentary the entire time. But me, a girl who would normally never be caught dead watching a horror film due to their ability to give me stifling nightmares, did not flinch once. My mind was elsewhere.

_Oh please God let this all be one big dream. I know you wouldn't let my dad become the man I saw in my house today. I know you wouldn't do that to my family. Or...would you? No, Clare stop thinking like that. Oh my gosh, what is going to happen when my mom comes home? She doesn't even know I'm out. And Darcy! Nah, she's probably staying at Peter's anyways. But my poor mother- who I am sure I've _never _seen drink- is going to come home and find...what? Did dad wreck our home in a drunken stupor? Is he going to scream and curse at her like he did to me? Ugh, my freaking stomach is KILLING me right now. What is wrong with me? Am I going to die? _

Totally consumed by my irrational thoughts, I didn't realize the fact that my nails were digging into Eli's arm until he howled in something other instead of laughter for once. I looked over at him, and then down to my vice grip on his arm. I ripped my hand away and covered my mouth in horror. "Oh my God Eli I am _so _sorry." I cried out, and then got up to run out of the theater. I kept running until I felt the cool autumn air whip my curls into my face, and then let myself sink to the ground against the brick wall of the movie theater. Outside like this, I could cry and scream and bang my fists on the ground all I wanted without hurting anyone in the process. The streets were empty, save a few cars parked on the curb, and I was blissfully alone. Or so I'd thought.

"I know how you feel, Clarabelle."

I abruptly stopped my tantrum, quite embarrassed that I'd actually been caught, and looked up at Bullfrog's empathetic expression. He sighed and sat down next to me.

"Told Eli to keep watching the movie. The kid really cares about you, you know. I had to give him my popcorn _and _gummy worms to convince him to stay back." He was joking, but I couldn't find it in me to laugh. "Okay no more jokes. How about I tell you a story."

_Once upon another time, there was a kid named Jack. He lived in a small condominium with his older brother and parents. Jack was a good kid, never once broke the rules. Hell he had to remind his parents of the rules sometimes, but we'll get to that. Jack's brother Greg was the troublemaker of the family. From the start, Jack and Greg mostly got along, despite their differing personalities. Greg would give his younger brother advice on everything, like how to successfully pop someone's bike tire if they messed with him or how to get a girlfriend at the age of 12. Of course, Jack acted on these lessons, but he was grateful for them nonetheless, because he looked up to his brother in a way. So you get it, the two boys got along. Well, Jack's parents were another story. _

_ Everyday, Jack's mother would slave away in the condo's tiny kitchen preparing a huge dinner for her family. Deep down, his mother would have killed to be outside playing with her children, even Greg who gave her hell on a daily basis for no reason. I think he just loved to be a rebel, and if that meant tormenting his mother, he would do it. Reminds me of a kid you might know... Anyhoo, Jack's mother. She would prepare for this big dinner every single night, just to please her husband. Jack's father was an ungrateful man. He would come home late from his easy manager job at a random fast food joint, kick up his feet on the sofa and make his beautiful wife come and greet him. He would say the same thing everyday. "Honey, I'm home! Aren't you going to ask me how my day was?" She would always ask him after he said that, and he just shrugged. Why his father would do this, Jack had no idea. During dinner, Jack would listen to his dad slur stories about people at work, and laugh obnoxiously when his wife and kids cleaned up the table. _

_ One day, however, Jack's mother had overcooked the pasta the family was going to eat. She served it anyways, as it Jack assured her that it wasn't _that _bad. During dinner on that particular night, Jack's father took one bite of the pasta, and spit it out immediately. He started shouting things at the mother, horrible things that I will not repeat, and finally, the mother gathered her courage and screamed back. She called him every name in the book, and shocked everyone. Greg took his father's side, as he refused to agree with his mother on anything, while Jack took his mother's. The two siblings were pinned against each other for a long time after this, as were the spouses. The father would come home more drunk and late than ever each night, and eat his dinner with Greg after Jack and his mother had long gone to sleep. The family was broken. _

"And did they ever get fixed? How did Jack feel?" I inquired after listening to the whole story with intense concentration.

Bullfrog frowned. "Unfortunately no they didn't, but that is beside the point. Jack felt helpless and alone without his brother on his side. It was the worst he'd ever felt in his life."

I sighed shakily. "Are you trying to make me cry again? 'Cause I gladly will if-"

"No, no no, definitely not Clarabelle. Jack just didn't know that he _wasn't _alone. His mother was on his side, and he had friends at school who would have been there for him if he didn't completely shut them out. Jack was depressed, and he didn't get the help he needed until he was much older. I just want you to know that Cece, Eli, and I are all here for you if you need us. You are not alone in this Clare." he finished. I smiled genuinely for the first time that night.

"Thanks, Jack."

"No problem, Clarabelle. And it's Bullfrog, let's not get crazy with our nicknames hon." He winked.

"You okay Clare?" Eli's voice startled me, and I looked up to see him emerging from a group of people piling out of the theater.

"I feel great now, except for my stupid stomach again. How's your arm?"

"It's fine, forget about that. Let's get you to the hospital then, Clare." Eli asserted. I nodded tiredly, letting them take care of me for once.

* * *

"Miss Goldsworthy, your test results indicate that there is nothing wrong with your brain. But there is something else that is still rather serious. Have you taken any medication recently?" Dr. Chris, the same doctor from a few days ago, asked me.

"Uh yeah...you told me to take Tylenol so I did."

"Were you accompanied by an adult?" When I shook my head he sighed. "Did you at least follow the dosing instructions on the back of the bottle?" he asked hopefully.

"...I may have taken a few extra. But my head was REALLY bothering me and I've seen my mom take more than two before." I tried to defend myself against the disapproving atmosphere that emanated from the three other guys in the hospital room.

"Ah, just as I expected. Clare, your liver has taken quite a hit from your over-dosage of Tylenol. I'm going to prescribe you these special vitamins to protect and get your liver back to normal working condition. But your father here is going to control your medication. What you did was very risky and dangerous; if you had consumed but a few more pills, your liver may have failed. I hope you've learned from this, Clare." Dr. Chris said. I nodded, feeling embarrassed that I put myself into this situation.

Dr. Chris and Bullfrog went off to sign some papers while Eli stayed with me once again.

"Deja vu." I joked. Eli narrowed his eyes at me.

"Were you trying to kill yourself Clare?" he asked.

"Um _no. _Why would even ask a question like that? I didn't know this could happen."

I was being completely honest. This seemed to reassure Eli, as he came over and sat next to me on the crinkly paper and grabbed my hand.

"I texted your mom, told her you're staying at Alli's tonight. Hope you don't mind." he said. I was shocked.

"First of all, how did you get my mom's number? Second of all, I am _not _going to Alli's again. I've heard enough of how much she wants to beat KC up."

He laughed, handing me my phone out of nowhere. "Wow, so I'm going to have backup tomorrow. And I grabbed your phone before I ran out earlier. Figured it might come in handy. But you're either staying at Alli's house or mine. No way in hell I'm letting you go back...there."

"I think I'd be just fine at mine but okay, Mr. Protective, I'll stay at your house."

"Great." he sounded as tired as I felt.

Bullfrog took us home, funny thing just how right it sounded when I called Eli's house 'home' while I've only been in it once before. I took the vitamin Bullfrog gave me for the night, changed into a t-shirt and shorts that belonged to Eli, and-against what the little Christian girl screaming at me in my head was preaching- shared a bed with a boy. Bullfrog and Cece surprisingly had no protests against this. My mother had never texted me back.

"Night, sweetheart." Eli muttered groggily as we laid on opposite sides of his big bed. I felt a bit awkward, but too tired to care as I mumbled a "Night babe."

We awoke in eachother's arms the next morning. There was no yelling, no accusations, no flailing limbs. We didn't pull away this time.


	10. Chapter 10

**I took into consideration your wonderful reviews, and added Eli's and KC's POV in this chapter. I really liked writing it, so thank you so much for your support everyone! I do not own Degrassi, or Scream by Misfits. Read, review and enjoy :)**

* * *

7th Grade

"A chill runs up your spine it crawls into your brain. The freezing touch of fear; it's driving me insane. Although you cannot fight, dragged from the silence where you hide as you scream, scream, scream. I wanna hear you scream!"

I doubled over in laughter in the back of Bullfrog's car while listening to Eli sing at the top of his lungs to some old punk music. Cece was driving us to school because Bullfrog was working at the radio station, the same radio station in which we were listening to right now. That was his second job, his first was at the restaurant with Cece during weeknights.

"Baby boy I love you but you're making my ears bleed." Cece whined, making me laugh even harder. Eli glared playfully at his mother but shut up all the same. He turned around in the passenger seat to look at me.

"I liked it." I mouthed to him and he smirked and rolled his eyes. Ever since we woke up, Eli and I have been extra...Darcy or Alli might call it flirty. I didn't want to go overboard or do something to ruin our friendship so I kept a physical distance. Laying together in the morning for thirty minutes and flirting verbally would have to suffice for now. I still don't even know if he likes me. _That needs to change soon._

"Earth to Clare..." Eli's voice snapped me out of my hopeless romantic's thoughts. I hadn't even noticed that he was waving a hand in front of my face.

"Sorry I was spacing. What?"

"Are you trying out for cheer leading today? Alli wants to know."

I almost laughed again. "Since when do you talk to Alli?" I asked incredulously.

He turned back to face the windshield so I couldn't see his face. I noticed him pull out his phone and start composing a text. "Don't worry about it. So are you?" he asked again.

Ignoring the weird vibe I was suddenly getting from Eli, I shrugged and said, "I guess so. Lily and Marisol asked me to anyways."

Eli nodded then finished his text and slid his phone into his backpack. Cece dropped us off at the front of Degrassi Junior High. I walked to the building with Eli, suddenly remembering that I was wearing his clothes. They weren't half bad, just a tight black t-shirt and red basketball shorts, and Eli even told me I looked better in them than he did. How is a girl supposed to react to _that_? At least I used Cece's curling iron to make my hair presentable, so I didn't feel too awkward wearing boy's clothes to school. No one commented, and for that I was grateful.

"I'll see you later?" I said to Eli as we parted for first period.

"Uh...sure." he muttered, and then surprised me by giving me a quick peck on the cheek before turning to power-walk down the hallway. I stood there for a few seconds, putting my hand up to my now burning and tingling cheek. That boy will be the death of me.

"Clare?" a familiar voice behind me made me jump. I turned around to see KC, with my purse and overnight bag in his hands. I grabbed them when he held them out to me.

"Thanks." I said curtly, and turned to walk to my first class. I had about two minutes until it began.

"Clare, wait please."

I stopped in my tracks and turned to face him with an expectant expression. What I was expecting exactly, I do not know. It definitely wasn't what actually happened.

"My mom OD'ed. I had to leave the concert because she was in the hospital. She almost died, Clare. I couldn't find you. I'm sorry if that isn't a good enough excuse for you."

I gasped as all feelings of contempt for KC left the building and were replaced with concern and sympathy. Lisa, the nice lady that KC treated so horribly during the car ride to the concert, was in the hospital for an overdose?

"I'd say that's a pretty good reason to leave. Is she okay?" I asked.

"She was unconscious all weekend, and the doctors still don't know if she's going to wake up. She's in a fucking coma, Clare."

I could see that KC was going to cry, so I went over and hugged him. His head fell onto my shoulder and he tentatively wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Do you want to go visit her after school? I can come with if you want." I offered. KC shook his head and looked up at me.

"I thought you wanted to try out for the Junior Power Squad."

"That's not important. We'll go see her, okay?"

He sniffled and released me so we could go to our separate classes. "Okay."

* * *

ELI

**I'll meet you at the foyer during third period. God this is so weird and insane, it's not even funny. By the way, she said yes about the power squad thing. **

I grimaced down at the text I'd sent to Alli during the car ride. I cannot believe I'm conspiring with a girl. What if she gets hurt? If she does, I'll probably look like the biggest jackass in history. _No, she wants to do this as much as I do. She isn't my responsibility either. _

Last night, after Clare was asleep, I transferred this Alli girl's number onto my phone and asked her what she thought about KC. She said that she wants to, and I quote, "give him a piece of my mind because no one can ditch a date with Clare without going through me." I agreed with her quickly, and now we're going to meet up during third period and get KC back. This ought to be awesome, considering he was one of the kids who beat the shit out of me a few weeks ago for lunch money and made a perverted comment about Clare to his friends. I know I should have told Clare this, but I didn't want her to think I'm weak and can't defend myself or her. There was a whole group of them last time, but now KC's not even going to know what hit him. I can just hear the maniacal laughter as my mind chants _payback time. For me, and more importantly; for Clare._

"Dude, what's your deal? You've been staring at your phone like a crazy person for the past five minutes." my best friend, Adam whispered to me. We were sitting in first period Health, AKA the most tedious class on Earth. We don't even have lectures, just sit there and work from our textbooks. I looked up from my phone and saw Adam's half-concerned, half-amused face.

"No deal here. I'm just...really bored." I explained dumbly.

Adam narrowed his eyes. He didn't believe me. "I don't believe you. If you were really bored, your head would be in one of those depressing poetry books you're always reading or perhaps even a decent edition of _The Goon_. Tell me what's going on, I'm your best friend."

_My best _guy _friend, Adam. _I didn't point this out to him, because I knew he'd get jealous of Clare. He was already becoming pretty bitchy about me hanging out with her so much since school started. I felt bad, but not bad enough to stop talking to her. She's just so...perfect.

"Okay, do you promise not to tell Clare?" I asked in a low voice.

Adam held up his pinky. We twisted and then started laughing. "Man we are so lame."

"Yes, yes. Always have been, always will be. Now I want in on this thing during third period."

"You read my text?"

"Obviously," he drawled. I rolled my eyes. "So what's the plan?"

* * *

CLARE

"Alli, do you want to get caught again?" I whispered to Alli during our second period Biology class. Obviously, the girl does not understand that our teacher is a stickler for the rules. She was texting rapidly, a creepy grin plastered on her face the whole time.

"Just gotta send out this...mass text." she whispered and hit one last button on her phone with a sigh of satisfaction. "Oh this is going to be great." She leaned back in her chair, as if texting took a great deal of energy.

"What- are you having a party or something?" I asked. What else would she send a mass text for?

"You could call it that." And she said nothing more. I was too worried about KC's mom to even be mad that she didn't invite me to her party. I'll ask her about it later.

"Um Alli...I can't come to tryouts today, sorry. I have to help my sister with something." That was probably the worst excuse I've ever uttered, but Alli seemed to believe it.

"Oh that's okay Clare. I know a few other girls on the squad."

I didn't tell her about KC because I knew she didn't like him anymore. She would not approve of me going to see his mom in the hospital, and although I'm not usually one to cave into peer pressure, I'd rather not fight about it during school.

Class ended soon after our conversation, and Alli scurried off somewhere super fast in her tall orange heels. I was excited for English, because I would see Eli! His kiss reminded me of the time KC kissed my cheek. Not the actual kiss (because Eli's elicited an actual physical and emotional reaction), but what Eli had said after KC kissed me.

_"What the fuck was that?" Eli spat._

_"A friendly kiss on the cheek. Nothing you should worry about, surely." I tried to convince him and myself. KC seemed to be growing feelings for me and I knew I didn't return them. Someone else had my full attention..._

_"Ick, that was definitely not friendly. You sure you want to go out with that creep?" he asked._

_"Yes, and be nice. He's my friend, just like you."_

_"Well I'm your BFFL, and you tell me if he tries anything weird. I'll kick his ass for you." he warned._

Suddenly I remembered that Eli still harbored negative feelings against KC. I needed to tell him what really made KC leave the concert before he did anything drastic. _Crap, I should have told Alli too. I doubt she'd really do anything, though._

I rushed to English class, where Eli was just walking out. He had a bathroom pass in his hand.

"Hey." I said awkwardly. My announcement could wait.

He looked oddly nervous. "Hi," he said and practically ran down the emptying hallway. I shrugged and entered the classroom. I sat in my usual seat in the back, hoping to deflect Marisol and Lily's questions. Or not.

"Clare, ready for tryouts today?" Lily said obnoxiously from across the room. Not wanting to shout like her, I just shook my head. I saw her and Marisol whisper something to each other and giggle. I growled and put my head on my desk.

"This seat taken?" a girl's voice asked. I looked up and rested my eyes on Fiona Coyne, who was motioning to Eli's chair.

"It's all yours." I said, just to be nice. Eli could sit next to me when he gets back...

"Ignore them. They're barely smart enough to be in an honor's class, let alone make fun of a seventh grader in an eighth grade honor's class."

"Thanks." I smiled graciously at her.

"So where's your friend? Still being an ass or is he at the thing?" she asked while glancing down at her manicured fingernails.

"What thing?"

"You didn't get the text? Wow, I thought you would have."

"What text? What is going on?" I asked. I was starting to get a bit frustrated.

"This girl Alli Bhandari- do you know her?" she asked and I nodded furiously. "She sent out a mass text to a bunch of kids last period telling them to come see this Justin Bieber- look alike kid get payback during third period for messing with her best friend. Sounded childish, so not my thing."

"I have to go." I muttered as I ran up to the teacher for a bathroom pass. She gave me a nasty look and told me to go sit down, that she'd already lent out all of her passes. Frantically, I ran to my desk and pulled out my phone to text Alli. I prayed to God she would get this in time.

* * *

KC

I was so happy that I finally got my chance to explain things to Clare. She took it better than I'd expected, and now we are going to go visit my mom in the hospital after school. Maybe I can convince Clare to go out with me afterward-make it up to her for bailing on our first date. Yeah, that's what I'll do.

I was in second period History when I heard the gossip. Three rowdy girls in the back of the room were giggling and whispering loud enough for me, in the front row, to hear.

"Are you going?"

"That kid is so going to be humiliated!"

"I wonder what he did to piss her off so much."

I had absolutely no idea who they were referring to, but it sounded like some kid was going to get pranked next period. I was angry, only because I wasn't a part of it. Doing crazy shit to kids is what I live for! _Oh well, this time I'll just sit back and enjoy._

When third period came around, I went into my Biology class and got a bathroom pass from the teacher. I walked out into the hallway, which was empty. Confused, I took a stroll all around the school, but it seemed like no one was out there. I was just about to head back to my Biology classroom when I heard music. It was quiet but was gradually increasing in volume as I stood frozen in the foyer.

"Trace the lines of your paisley jacket..."

It was a Dead Hand song. Suddenly, I understood. I'm not _that _stupid. This prank was intended for me from the beginning. Was Clare still angry about me ditching her at the concert? Earlier it seemed like she wasn't...

I began to run towards my classroom in hopes of escaping this 'humiliation'. The music was getting louder as I ran, and I turned a corner only to be met by a crowd of kids, all standing there with shit-eating grins on their faces. I backed up slowly. A kid in the front, who I recognized as Clare's emo friend Eli, yelled "NOW!"

The group erupted into a chaotic mosh pit. Arms flailed in all directions, kids were shoving each other to the ground, and they were all running around like wild animals. A short Indian girl and Eli came up to harshly grab my biceps and tossed me into the jumble of eighth graders. I was instantly punched in the face and gut several times. One dude even decided to break the guy code and kick me right in the balls. I went down for that one with a groan. The kids continued to run about, constantly tripping over me for the duration of the song. I knew I would have bruises all over my arms and perhaps my man parts, the pain was so intense.

When the song _finally _ended, the kids quickly cleared out of the hallway, leaving Eli, Indian girl, some girly looking guy, and I alone.

"How does it feel KC?" Eli asked with a sinister grin on his face. I spat in their general direction as an answer. There was blood.

"EW!" the Indian girl screeched.

"Let's get out of here Eli. Class is out soon, and I think he's had enough." the boy I did not know said. He had a strangely high voice.

Eli nodded and the three of them left me in the hallway bleeding. I laid there for a long time, just crying like a bitch. I cried for my mom in the hospital, who I've always treated like shit for no reason. I cried because my whole body hurt like hell. I lastly cried for Clare. I should have known she would never like a guy like me. What I couldn't understand right then was not why she would arrange this, but why she would think she could arrange this and get away scot-free.


	11. Chapter 11

**Short chapter...sorry. I've been pretty stressed out because school starts in 3 days and my writing has been on the back burner. I will try to update sooner next time. And things WILL be speeding up. I just hate to rush a story for no reason. Oh and THANK YOU SO MUCH for reading, every single one of you. I do appreciate it alot, especially when you review. It keeps me going. Have a lovely week degrassi readers. :)**

* * *

7th Grade

ELI

There are a lot of things in the world that suck. One of the worst is sitting at lunch alone, not knowing where your best friend went to. After Alli's and my plan went without a hitch, we all felt pretty damn guilty. Adam actually went to the nurse to complain of a 'massive headache' so he could go home. Alli and I waited until the bell rang, and then went to our separate classes. So here I am at lunch, and Clare is nowhere to be found. _I really hope she isn't mad about this._

I know that I took the prank too far, but frankly, I think that KC got exactly what he deserved. It was, after all, the same thing Clare went through if not easier. Clare was already dealing with some messed up shit with her family and he should have been there to protect her. I would have been. I sat at the table, staring blankly at my peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I needed to make things right somehow.

"Eli, hey!" I heard a disgustingly cheerful voice exclaim. I looked up and let me just say, _ugh._

"Um...hello."

It was this girl Lily from my English class. I've known her since last year, and she has always been up my case despite my every protest. And there have been _a lot _of those. I would never be attracted to this girl. She wears way too much makeup for her own good, and the hair and arrogant attitude don't really help her case either.

"Where's your girlfriend?" she asked.

My eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not sure I know who you're talking about." I really didn't. Since when do I have a girlfriend?

"Oh, I just assumed that you and Clare..." she trailed off.

"We're _friends._ Girls and guys can have platonic relationships, you know." I hinted.

"Duh, I knew that." she replied pretty unconvincingly. I'm don't think 'platonic' is in her vocabulary yet. Lily continued to stand uncomfortably close to my chair and said nothing else.

I decided to break the awkward silence. "Did you want something?"

"No I just...you look lonely." She sounded hurt. I sighed, and patted the seat next to me since Clare was probably never going to show up. Lily's hurt face instantly transformed into a huge grin as she sat down. "So, about this girlfriend deal; why don't you have one again?"

_Bloody hell, Clare where are you?_

* * *

CLARE

I ran through the halls during lunch, searching for KC. I needed to know that he was alright. Alli can be quite the schemer when she wants to. I nearly slammed into several teachers who just shot me a dirty look and halfhearted "No running!" _What is _with_ the teachers in this school?_

I stopped in front of the classroom where KC was supposed to be and peered in. A teacher was sitting at his desk reading a magazine while the students were all working on what appeared to be a worksheet. I craned my neck to get a better view of the class through the small window on the door. KC was there in the back. He looked the same as the rest of the kids with an expression of deep concentration on his face as he worked. I took that as assurance that he was alive and well, though it was still hard to see him in the back row.

I walked swiftly to the cafeteria. I was pretty hungry, and there were about ten minutes left of the period. When I got there, I saw Eli at our lunch table next to Lily. She was smiling at him and laughing while he just smirked down at his sandwich. I stalked over to them.

"And then I told him to shove his 'apology' right up his-" Lily's sentence was cut off (thankfully) when she saw me coming. "Clare! Join us!"

Rolling my eyes, I took Adam's seat since Lily was sitting in mine next to Eli. He was staring at me intently, as if there was something he wanted to say but couldn't.

"Is there something on my face or what?" I asked him sarcastically. He snapped out of his weird daze and laughed.

"Nope you look perfect. Loving the outfit by the way."

"Right back at ya." I sneered, as Eli and I were wearing almost the same thing. It would've been almost hilarious if it weren't so embarrassing.

"So Eli here tells me you two aren't dating." Lily interjected simply, and much to my chagrin. I just looked at her with a mixture of shock and annoyance written on my face. _Working on it, hon._

"She asked." Eli muttered. I sneaked a glance at him, and _boy_ was I surprised to find his face was as red as he makes mine sometimes. I think I'm going to take that as a good sign.

"'s alright Eli, Clare knows that. But does she know how you have a crush on someone else Someone really pretty?"

I felt nauseous. Lily was doing this on purpose. She was grinning between me and Eli, like she had a whole lot to do with us. Randomly, a new burst of confidence overtook my mind and body.

"Why are you even here Lily? You're in my fucking seat." I blurted before I knew something was coming out of my mouth. _Jesus, where did _that_ come from? I sound like my dad. Oddly, I don't regret it. _Eli's face was cracking me up on the inside. He was smirking, but his eyes were wide with mock surprise. Lily, on the other hand, was openly scowling at me. If looks could kill...

"I'll go. But only because there are about five minutes until the bell rings. Hope you two can figure yourselves out. Eli contain this one, she's a bit...crazy."

My mouth fell open as Lily sauntered away, swinging her hips exaggeratedly.

"Don't be offended. If anyone's crazy, it's that bitch." Eli said. "Oh and I must say, I am very proud of your swear! I should have gotten it on tape, labeled it 'Clare's first cuss', and sent it to you as a Christmas present."

"Oh shush. I spoke before I thought, but she had it coming."

"Agreed."

An awkward silence loomed over us like a rain cloud. I knew we were both thinking the same thing. We were just avoiding it, but it was going to come out one way or another. Either I would snap from suspense, or Eli would act on his own. _Who was Eli's crush?_

_ .._

At the end of the day, I boarded my bus. Inching my way down the aisle, I found my usual seat to be occupied by Alli. I looked at her seat across from mine and saw that it was taken by a tall boy with spiky brown hair. I shrugged, and sat down next to Alli.

"What did you do to KC?" I asked right off the bat.

She wasn't looking at me, just playing with a loose string on her jacket. "We...uh I mean I didn't really do much, actually." Seemingly satisfied with her answer, she looked up at me. "Yep, I gave him a nice 'talking-to'."

I slapped her wrist. "Alli! Didn't you get my text? KC's mom is in a coma, and that's why he had to leave the concert. Crap, poor KC."

"My parents took away my phone. Don't ask," she said as though she did nothing wrong.

"Oh my gosh! KC! I was supposed to go to the hospital with him this afternoon. Oh, things just keep getting worse."

"Chick, calm the fuck down and text KC. I can hear you over my ipod," the boy across the aisle said to me.

"Whatever," I said, too frantic to feel angry at this random stranger. Alli wasn't.

"Who do you think you are, saying that to a girl? Didn't your mother teach you any manners?"

"She's dead." the boy said. I pulled out my phone while the two of them argued.

**KC I am a horrible person. I TOTALLY forgot the hospital thing, and I'm already on the bus. Are you okay? I heard what Alli did to you. Sorry for that, and my crap memory.**

It took a few minutes, but KC eventually replied.

**It's okay, Clare. I wasn't in the mood to go anymore anyway. I'm fine, but I'm going to be out of school for awhile, maybe forever. Go have fun with your awesome friends.**

Okay, that was...weird. Is KC leaving school because of what Alli said to him? I assumed so, because of his last sentence, which was sarcastic and a little rude. I also noticed his lack of text language, meaning he took a good amount of time composing that text. This sucks.

"You're so annoying!" Alli yelled at the kid across the aisle. He smiled and put his earphones in. I could hear the rap music from where I was sitting.

"So KC is leaving Degrassi," I grit out angrily. Alli couldn't have been any more oblivious.

"Really? Yay, my job here is done! Hey Clare, we're at your stop."

I got up without a goodbye, and started to walk down the aisle. I suddenly felt a hand grab my wrist. I looked down at whose clutches I was in, and was surprised to find the boy from across the aisle.

"I'm Fitz. Nice to meet you Clare."

"Um...likewise I guess? I gotta go."

He nodded and released my wrist. I walked out of the bus into the slightly chilly September air. Wanting nothing more than to get out of the cold, I ran to my house down the block. I yanked open the door, completely forgetting what had happened just a day ago until I saw the sight in front of me. My mom and dad were sitting on the sofa with creepy smiles plastered on their faces. My dad had his arm slung over my mom's shoulders and she was awkwardly leaning into him.

"Clare bear, how was your day?" my dad asked mildly.

"...good. And you guys'?"

"Wonderful." my dad said. "Great." my mom followed.

"Well that's...uh I think I'm going to work on my homework in my room now."

Both of my parents smiled, and I walked woodenly up the stairs to my room. I laid down in my bed, trying to remember a time when my family wasn't so strange. Was there ever one?

* * *

FITZ (Earlier that day)

"Bro, what the hell happened to you?"

I was in the boy's locker room before gym class. KC's locker was next to mine, and I noticed that he was covered in bruises. No, I wasn't checking him out, thank you.

"This bitch Clare told her friends to throw me in a death pit. I want to get her back, but my mom just got out of her coma and is going to the slammer for a while. Drug issues and shit, can't say I'm surprised. Anyways, I have to go into fucking foster care, and I'm leaving Degrassi."

"Wow man that sucks." I said.

"Tell me about it. Dude, can you do me a huge favor? It's right up your ally."

I felt bad for the guy, so I said, "You want me to bring the bitch down? Done."

And we shook on it.

* * *

**Side note: Alli skipped tryouts because she was still shaken from the prank. There are more tryouts during the week she can/will attend. **

**I apologize for that missing detail, and if there were any mistakes. Writing at four in the morning has it's consequences.**


	12. Chapter 12

**You wanted some eclare cuteness? Well here it is. I felt the need to update again before school starts, because I don't know the next time I'll be able to. Thank you for taking the time to read this story. Reviews on this chapter? ;) I enjoyed writing it. (Links to costumes on my profile)**

* * *

7th Grade

-HALLOWEEN-

CLARE

It's been a crazy two months. My schedule has been packed with excessive schoolwork, article deadlines for the newspaper, and making time for my friends. Speaking of friends, KC never came back to school. He doesn't respond to my texts, so I don't know what became of him or his mom. I can't help but blame myself for this.

Eli and I are better than ever. We hang out almost every weekend, usually alone but sometimes Adam joins or-very rarely- Alli. I love his company. We've found that writing together is a really fun experience, and plan to write a story together one day when we're older. I can only hope that we're friends forever, or...something more in the future. That is the only thing that is wrong with our relationship. Eli never brought up the topic of his 'crush' again, so neither did I. It's like there is never a good time to talk about it, and that is killing me on the inside. I need to do it soon, because I think I'm too young to lose my sanity.

Today is Halloween, and it is also a Saturday so I can relax. This is my absolute favorite time of the year. The weather, the food, the comfy sweaters, everything is just so _warm. _The best part to me is trick-or-treating, which I'm doing with Alli, Eli, and Adam tonight. Alli was over at my house getting dressed in her costume.

"This is going to be so much fun! We've never trick-or-treated with anyone else before, therefore there will be double the candy to go around." Alli noted. This was true; Alli and I have gone trick-or-treating every year together since we were toddlers. We have a tradition where we dump all of our candy into a pile on the living room and gorge ourselves while watching horror flicks. With Eli and Adam coming over, there will be twice the candy, and twice the fun.

"All ready!" I exclaimed. Alli turned from her reflection in the mirror to see my finished product.

"Clare..." Alli started slowly.

"What! Oh god I look horrible, don't I? Oh my this is so embarrassing! Eli's never going to-"

"Woah woah woah, calm down sister. I was going to say we look so hot!" she laughed.

I rolled my eyes and let out a big breath. "It's official, I'm a lunatic."

Alli was dressed up as Cleopatra, her freshly cut hair going well with the theme. She also applied some dark lipstick and eyeliner with long wing tips. I, on the other hand, have really been spending too much time with Eli and Adam. They got me into the Batman comics. I decided to dress up as cat woman this year. The costume was sleek and form-fitting, and I didn't need to put much makeup on because there was also a mask. She was right, we looked pretty hot for a couple of seventh grade girls.

"Let's go downstairs." Alli suggested.

We raced down the steps leading to the living room. My mom and dad were sitting on the couch, watching the news. Things had been going pretty good with them, but sometimes I feel like it's all an act. My mom doesn't look at my dad the way she used to, while my dad always keeps a tight arm around her shoulders protectively. Oh well, I guess it's none of my business.

"Hey guys. We're going to go trick-or-treating soon with our friends, remember?"

My dad's eyes stayed glued to the television and my mom answered, "Sure honey. Be careful out there. Where's Darce?"

"Halloween party. She didn't tell you?"

My mom's eyes got really wide all of a sudden and she looked at my dad. His attention was now on our conversation.

"You girls go now. Get some good candy!" my mom faked a cheerful voice. Perplexed, Alli and I walked out onto the porch. We took a seat, waiting for Eli and Adam to show up.

"Darcy's going to get it." Alli sang. I shook my head. Honestly I didn't even care. Darcy stopped talking to me when her and Peter started dating, and I feel like Alli has been more of a sister to me since then. She deserves whatever comes to her for not telling our parents about the party. I only knew about it from hearing some eighth grade girls in the school restroom bragging about going.

"Sucks for her." I muttered just as a red van pulled up. It was Audra, Adam's mom's car. We got up just as a werewolf and Batman jumped out of the car and bounded up to us.

"Ready for some hardcore candy gathering, girls?" Adam asked. He was the werewolf. He had on one of his usual flannel plaid shirts and ripped jeans, with a really creepy mask.

"Woo!" Alli yelled and gave Adam a high five. I was transfixed on Eli, and he on me. He was dressed up as Batman, after all, and I was Cat woman. _Oh, coincidences._

"Well hello there Cat Woman. You're looking rather dashing tonight." Eli said in a low voice. I blushed behind my mask.

"You're not so bad yourself, Batman." I flirted playfully. Alli giggled and nudged my side with her elbow. I continued to smile at Eli.

"Yeah yeah, everyone's looking spectacular. Can we get the goods now?" Adam whined.

"Lets blow this joint." Eli said, using his hands to mimic an explosion.

..

"I think I'm going to explode guys," Alli groaned. She was laying on the ground in the living room across the HUGE pile of candy from Adam. Eli and I were sitting on the couch, sharing an extra large bag of skittles and a chocolate bar at the same time. Alli and Adam were cracking me up. They both had chocolate smeared around their mouths and were clutching their full stomachs.

"Do you guys want to watch another movie?" I asked. Adam and Alli groaned again. We had already watched Halloween, The Shining, and Eli's and Adam's favorite, Friday the 13th. Personally, horror movies still frightened me to no end, but having Eli next to me made it somewhat better. I would cower into his side before a scary part, and he didn't seem to mind. He just chuckled a little under his breath and told me when it was over.

"I'm up for one more," Eli said. Alli shot up from her spot on the floor with a grin on her face.

"I have curfew. Let's go, Adam. I think I heard your mom's car."

Adam played along with Alli's 'subtlety', much to my surprise. "Yep, I heard it too. Eli, do you think your dad can pick you up?"

"Yeah..."

Alli pulled Adam almost aggressively to the door. "See you guys on Monday. Have fun, be safe." Alli teased. I slapped my hand to my forehead. _Wonderful, thanks Alli._

The room suddenly got quiet. I removed my hand from my face and saw that Adam and Alli were no longer here. I turned to Eli and smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry about that."

He smirked. "Don't be."

Not knowing what to make of that, I let my mind wander for a second. _Should I ask him now? Will he think I'm some crazy girl who is obsessed with him? I don't think I am. I just like him, that's all. I need to do it. But how?_

Turns out I didn't need to. "Hey Clare." Eli began.

"Yes? Oh right, the movie. I have a few more scary movies up in my room. I'll just go-"

"No, stay here. I wanted to talk to you about something." Eli seemed nervous, which was really out of character for him.

"Alright..." I prompted.

"You know how...a few months ago Lily sat with us at our lunch table?"

_Oh God. _I instantly became anxious. _He's going to tell me he's in love with some other girl. A 'prettier girl'._

"Yes." My answer was choked out in a barely audible whisper.

"Do you remember what she said?"

"Yes."

"I guess I just wanted to know...why we haven't talked about it."

I let out a large huff of air. "Same here."

He looked at me strangely, as if expecting a better answer. "Well, um. Aren't you like... curious? Don't you want to know who I like?"

"Yes and no."

"What's the 'no' part?"

I took a minute to mull over my answer, so I didn't give away anything about my crush on him just yet. "I don't want to hear all about some pretty girl who has your attention. Adam is a guy, talk to _him _about that." I finally replied grudgingly.

Eli laughed. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Clare, can't you see? There are no pretty girls."

I grimaced in disgust. _Well that was not what I wanted to hear at all. Eli just sounded like a major jerk._

"Except for you." he added.

_Scratch that. _I was feeling that feeling again. The nauseous giddy feeling that made me scared but confident at the same time. It was truly like no other.

"Eli...do you mean that?"

"Miss Clare, you should know I never say things I don't mean."

I smiled in the blue light emanating from the television. "I like you too." I've never felt so nervous as when I said those words.

Eli grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers. I scooted closer to him and laid my head on his shoulder. This was right. I tried to memorize the things about him that I never noticed before. His smell; despite the Halloween costume he was wearing, Eli still managed to smell great, like home. His heartbeat, which was currently racing as fast as mine was. I was happy to know that I wasn't the only one who was nervous, and that I was the one who made him feel that way. His breath on my cheek; it was warm and smelled sweet, like skittles.

"Hey Cat Woman."

"Mhm?

"We should watch that movie now," Eli whispered in my ear, causing me to shiver.

"Okay, I'll go get it." I sighed. I didn't want to leave the spot I was in one bit. Eli of course made the deal better.

"I'm right behind you."

Eli and I walked up to my room in companionable silence. I glanced back at him and we smiled at each other.

"Okay so here we are. Ma chambre." I gestured to my average-looking room.

"C'est beau comme toi, ma chere."

I blushed and threw my arms around his neck. He laughed and hugged me back tightly. Suddenly, there was a bang on my bedroom wall and the sound of glass shattering. Eli and I pulled away and looked at each other with wide eyes. I ran to my door and shut it just before another bang was heard right on the other side of it.

"HELEN! WE NEED TO PUNISH THAT CHILD, DON'T EVEN TRY TO FIGHT ME." My dad's slightly slurred speech echoed through the entire house. I could hear both my mom and sister crying in another room, probably my parents'.

_Oh my god, this is not happening. Not on the most perfect of nights. Not in front of Eli._

There was a scream. And then another. My heart was breaking with every noise coming from outside my door. Was my dad actually hurting them? I turned back to Eli.

"You should go," I said.

Eli crossed his arms stubbornly. "I can't leave you here."

"So what the hell are you going to do? Sit hear and listen with me? This isn't your problem, Eli. You should go." I repeated more desperately.

Eli wavered for a moment. I took the opportunity to use my last effort. I closed the distance between us and pressed my lips to his cheek. "You have to leave." I whispered, looking him straight in the eyes. He looked back at me with a pained expression.

"Fine. But you will call me if you need me. And I'm going to text you until you fall asleep. Clare, promise me you won't leave this room." Eli demanded.

"I promise." I whispered.

Eli took my face in his hands and kissed my forehead. I let my eyes drift shut and basked in the amazing feeling.

"Goodnight babe."

"Goodnight Batman."

Eli hugged me one last time, and then walked over to my window. There was a tree really close to it, so he had no problem sliding out and scrambling down the branches. I leaned out and looked down at his retreating figure.

"I love you." I whispered. The chilly breeze drowned out my words.


	13. Chapter 13

**I do apologize for the excessively lengthy wait for this update. School has me very busy. Forgive me and review? :) Love you all!**

7th Grade

ELI

I think I love her. Although Lily's 'brilliant' plan to make her jealous didn't work, I finally made her mine. _Clare Edwards, my girlfriend. _We didn't really establish anything, but I think it's pretty damn obvious and Clare is a smart girl.I sighed in satisfaction. The whole 'Batman and Cat Woman' thing was totally unplanned. Maybe it was fate.

**Are they still fighting, baby? **

I had sent her that text thirty minutes ago, right when I returned home from her house. She never replied, and I'm feeling really anxious right about now.

"Hey punk, how was trick-or-treating? Did you get that girl to marry you yet?" My dad was standing in the now-ajar door to my bedroom.

"Bullfrog, how many times do I have to tell you-"

"This is my house, I can barge into any room I want. Except the bathroom, that's your mom's territory. So why are you avoiding my questions?"

I couldn't control the grin on my face anymore. The second I let it slip, Bullfrog hollered and came over to pat my back.

"Clare Edwards...don't you play that girl, Eli. She's a keeper."

"I would never, you know that. It's just...she hasn't texted me back."

"Oh, please don't tell me you're becoming one of those obsessive boy-"

"God no, really Bullfrog? She's having some more problems with her parents. I told her to text me, and she never did."

"Oh...Eli I hate to say this, but you probably shouldn't mess around with other kids' parents. Especially your girlfriend's. If she's not at school on Monday, then we'll look into it, okay?"

"But-"

"Eli."

Just when I was actually going to admit defeat and follow my dad's orders for once, my phone buzzed. I jumped up so fast my phone flipped onto the ground by my bed. I reached down for it, but my dad's hand snatched it up first.

"DAD! I'm serious, give it to me right now." I demanded.

He chuckled and tossed me the phone, muttering something unintelligible on his way out of my room. I turned my phone on.

**No, no everything is fine.**

That's all I get for a half hour's worth of anxiety? Why did it take her so long to respond?

**You sure? Had me hangin' for awhile there, Edwards.**

Her reply took about only a minute this time, much to my appreciation.

**Sorry about that. I have to go to bed now Eli. See you Monday.**

The lack of emotion in that text was a bit disappointing, but I tried to push that thought away. Clare was just as interested in me as I in her, right? I've known her for a few months now, and haven't detected a single insincere thought or impure intention on her part. She is a saint. Besides, she told me she liked me, too.

**Okay...goodnight sweetheart.**

Part of the reason I didn't want my dad to see my texts was because of my common use of mushy names for Clare. At first I was just joking around with her, but then I started to get to know her and secretly relished the way her cheeks darkened when I called her 'babe'. I never thought I'd be one of those guys, but with Clare...anything is possible. If Bullfrog knew any of this though, I'd never hear the end of it.

-MONDAY-

The weekend had passed without another word from Clare. I was starting to get scared, and not only from our undefined relationship. Was everything alright with her family? I actually walked into school _early _on Monday, just to go find her and see if she was okay. I went to wait by her locker, but after ten minutes, I decided to give up and go to first period. If she was here, I would see her soon enough in third period. I took my usual seat next to Adam.

"Hey," I greeted him.

"Eli! I've been waiting all weekend to ask you something."

"And that would be?"

"Do you...um..."

"Spit it out, man. Class is going to start."

"Do you know if Alli is single?" his words came out in a rush.

I caught myself before I let out a laugh. Adam likes Alli? "You like Alli?"

"Wow, could you _be _any louder? We sort of bonded when we left Clare's house on Halloween, and I just wanted to know if she's available." Adam glared at me, and I put my hands up in defense.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm just shocked. But no, I don't know if she's single. I _do_ know, however, a friend of hers who isn't single." I began to grin.

Adam scrutinized my expression for a half a second longer until his jaw dropped. My grin grew in satisfaction. "You didn't." he accused.

I chuckled. "Oh but I did."

He slapped my arm repeatedly. "Dude! Why didn't anyone text me! Why was I not alerted that my two best friends are totally macking!"

I groaned. "Macking, really?"

"Whatever the kids are calling it these days. Not even a Facerange status! What is this!"

"Chill, Adam. We haven't really made it 'official' or whatever, but I can change that. I _will_ change that. How do I change that?"

I hadn't really given it much thought until then, and I was beginning to realize that maybe labels were actually important. _Would Clare even want to be my girlfriend? Was that too weird? What if we didn't work out, then what? Would we never talk to each other again? _

"Just say, 'Yo Clare, be my girlfriend.' It's really very easy." Adam said matter-of-factually.

"Okay, I'm just going to ignore the fact that you just said 'yo', and figure this all out on my own. Thanks a lot."

"No problemo, Mr. Lady's man."

..

_RRRING!_

I hopped up from my desk and raced to the door when second period ended. I wanted to see my best friend! I practically sprinted down the hall without even looking where I was going. I suddenly slammed into another body, and we both went flying to the ground, me on top of them.

"Shit! I'm sorry!" I apologized in a hurry, until I saw who I was on top of.

"Fucking emo kid watch where you're going." Mark, my mortal enemy, spat at me as he shoved me off of him by the shoulders and onto the hard tile floor. I grunted in pain as he kicked my stomach to top it off. He loped off, whistling as if he didn't do anything.

His name was Mark Fitzgerald. He was KC's best friend, before Alli and I drove KC off the face of the earth. He was also one of the kids who beat the crap out of me for my lunch money during the first week of school. We haven't liked each other since elementary school, but last year was the first year we actually started to _fight. _Fitz was more popular than me, and therefore he had more backup when it came to physical fights and I was almost always the one who ended up with a black eye or busted lip. But there were times when I got him back too. I just used my smarts, while he used his fists. This was one of those times when I needed to use my intelligence over him. No one kicks Eli Goldsworthy around without getting a taste of their own medicine.

I got up from the ground and made my way to English, visibly less enthused. _I probably have some kind of internal bleeding. Whatever._

When I got to the classroom, I instantly looked to the back. Clare was there, looking as beautiful as ever in a long-sleeved purple dress. My grimace turned into a smirk as I walked over to her.

"Why hello beautiful." I said as I took the seat behind her.

She rolled her eyes and smiled wide. "Hi."

"How are you today?" I asked.

"Slightly comatose from all the Halloween chocolate I ate yesterday, but I think I'll manage. How about you? I'm guessing the footprint on your t-shirt is _not_ a fashion statement." she pointed out, a worried expression on her face.

I groaned internally. Of course I had to be wearing a white v-neck today. I decided to play it off. Clare didn't need to get involved in my and Fitz's feud. "Hey, I got compliments on it! I'm fine, don't worry."

She seemed to relax, making me feel better. I was about to ask her how things were going at home, but Ms. Hernandez started class. I half-listened to the teacher, but my attention was mostly on the girl in front of me. Her natural brown curly hair was grown out slightly past her shoulders, and it looked so soft. I reached out to play with a curl on her shoulder, but stopped when she flinched forward out of my grasp. I frowned, and folded my hands on my desk. Ms. Hernandez was talking about a book we were going to read called The Odyssey. I was already familiar with the material, so all I had to do was skim over the chapters and do the partner discussions with Clare. I was actually pretty excited to see what Clare got out of the book.

Ms. Hernandez stopped talking to pass out the books. Clare turned around.

"Ugh, I hate this book." Clare said. _Oh, so she's read it already too. Not surprising._

"Me too." I admitted. "But the movie is pretty decent."

"Really? Then we should just watch it instead of reading the book again." she suggested.

"Sounds good. And we can still get our points for the discussions by talking about the movie in class."

We laughed at our sneaky plan as Ms. Hernandez placed copies of The Odyssey on our desks.

"We're a good pair, you and I." Clare noted. I smiled.

"Agreed."

"Have the first chapter read by Friday kids!" Ms. Hernandez shouted to the room after she had passed out all the books.

…

"Hey guys you know this kind of makes me like a third wheel now..." Adam whined during lunch.

"Oh please Adam, it's not like we're making out right in front of you." Clare reasoned.

Adam and I looked at each other, and he burst out laughing. That was _so_ not something I thought Clare would ever say. She looked less than amused, so I decided to defend her.

"You laugh now but you know we can easily change that."

That shut him up. Clare smiled and mouthed a 'thanks' to me. I winked back, and reached for her hand under the table.

"So Clare, Adam has a question for you." I said cheekily, remembering our conversation from earlier.

"Oh?" Clare prompted him.

Adam shot me a death glare but I had backup this time. He turned his attention to Clare. "No I don't."

"Oh come on man. Just ask her. It's only Clare."

"I don't bite...much." Clare added with a squeeze of my hand. I felt my mouth go dry.

"Ugh, fine! Is Alli dating anyone?"

I looked at Clare's face as several different emotions crossed it. Confusion, suspicion, realization, and finally glee. "Adam! Oh my gosh! No!" Clare exclaimed.

"Wait...is this like a 'No, Adam don't waste your time.' or a 'No, Adam, she isn't dating anyone and you should definitely ask her out.' kind of thing?" Adam asked.

"Of course you should ask her out, Adam!" Clare squealed, bouncing in her seat. "She'd love it, and we could all double date or whatever without it being extremely awkward because we're already friends."

I laughed, enjoying my girlfriend's excitement. She was too adorable.

"Okay, thanks Clare. No guarantees, I just wanted to see if there was a possibility..."

"Sure."

"And you can't tell her anything."

"My lips are sealed." Clare said.

"Good. Bell's about to ring guys. See ya later." Adam said, and walked off to the cafeteria doors. Clare and I stood up at the same time and I grabbed her lunch to throw away.

"You're so chivalrous, Eli." Clare complimented as we intertwined our fingers. I shrugged. I was raised to treat a lady like that. May as well start early.

"So do you 'read the first chapter' of The Odyssey at your house or mine?" I asked.

"Yours." Clare answered almost right away. I thought nothing of it.

"It's a date."


End file.
